


The Gift | J2 | NC-17

by meus_venator



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Blind!Jensen, Chris Kane - Freeform, Christmas, Danneel (not married to Jensen), Danneel Harris - Freeform, J2, M/M, Prostitution, Schmoop, doctor!Jared, kidnap, lots of snow, musician!Jensen, possible drugging, zipties
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2016-12-21
Packaged: 2018-09-11 01:59:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 33,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8949235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meus_venator/pseuds/meus_venator
Summary: Jared was a lonely doctor with gifts, Jensen was a lonely musician with problems, but it would take a lot of Christmas magic to make things all work out.





	1. What will $50 get me?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [souslelys (lightinthehall)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightinthehall/gifts).



> [](http://spn-j2-xmas.livejournal.com/profile)[**spn_j2_xmas**](http://spn-j2-xmas.livejournal.com/) 2016 Secret Santa gift exchange for [](http://souslelys.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://souslelys.livejournal.com/)**souslelys**
> 
>  **Title:** **The Gift**  
>  **Author:** [](http://meus-venator.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://meus-venator.livejournal.com/)**meus_venator**  
>  **Art:** [](http://meus-venator.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://meus-venator.livejournal.com/)**meus_venator**  
>  **Editors/Alphas/Beta's extraordinaire: fufaraw** and **onlythefireborn** Thanks for bearing with me guys. My wonky brain still ain't quite right.  
>  **Pairing/Characters:** Jared/Jensen (Jared is 28/Jensen 26 years)  
>  **Word count/Medium:** 21k  
>  **Rating:** NC-17  
>  **Warnings:** Kidnap, zipties, possible drugging  
>  **Tags:** Tags: Schmoop, Blind!Jensen, Doctor!Jared, Chris Kane, Danneel (not married to Jensen), lots of snow, Christmas
> 
>  **Summary:** Jared was a lonely doctor with gifts, Jensen was a lonely musician with problems, but it would take a lot of Christmas magic to make things all work out.
> 
> Dear [](http://souslelys.livejournal.com/profile)[**souslelys**](http://souslelys.livejournal.com/), I am so in awe of your beautiful **[Forever is a lonely number](http://dugindeep.livejournal.com/427644.html?thread=9817724#t9817724)** (Everyone else go read it if you haven't! NOW, NOW, NOW!)  
>  I hope you enjoy this. I tried to use several of your prompts. I may have gone a bit crazy : )

: : :

  


: : :

With a weary exhale, Jared collapsed, exhausted, onto the bench in front of his locker. He rocked his head back and forth, listening to the snap and crackle of his joints, then rolled his shoulders to get out the kinks that seemed permanently embedded after seven hours of surgery. The coronary arterial bypass surgery had gone well – damn well, if he were being honest with himself. The chances were good that Amy would make a speedy recovery, especially with all the extra care Jared had put into it. Now, he just needed to stay awake long enough to do his rounds and check in on his other patients one last time, then he could head home and fall into bed. Pulling off his green scrub top, he balled it up lightly and tossed it ten feet to the linen hamper at the end of the aisle. “He shoots, he scoressss!” Jared rubbed his hands tiredly across his face.

 

 

A hand squeezed his shoulder affectionately, and Jared started in surprise. “Good going, Padalecki. That was a long shift. How’s my prize resident holding up?” J.D. Morgan, chief of the Minimally Invasive Surgical unit, asked. “That was some fine work you did, there. No wonder they’re startin’ to call you the man with the golden hands. Hell son, at this rate you’ll have my job in no time.” JD chuckled and leaned back against the lockers to survey his rising young star.

“No fear of that. Who needs more paperwork to do?” Jared smiled at his mentor and friend.

Morgan pulled thoughtfully on his beard. “You look tired, son. Why don’t you head home? I can cover your rounds.”

“Thanks, but I won’t get any rest if I don’t look in on all of them myself. It shouldn’t take too long. Appreciate it, though.” Jared’s, long talented fingers spun the combination of his locker. He pulled out a clean black V-neck and shouldered his way into it, then rose, towering two or three inches above Morgan’s 6’2. He briefly debated changing out of his scrub pants, then thought better of it. It would take too much effort. Morgan was speaking again, and his tired brain tried to tune in to what he was saying.

“…okay then, you know what’s good for you. Hey, we still on for drinks tomorrow night? Ty’s buyin’.” JD grinned as he referred to the other surgical resident on staff at Saint Mary’s Children’s Hospital. Ty had bet big on who was going to win the Cowboys vs Seahawks game and had gone down in flames.

Jared snorted, “You know, there’s no way I’m going to miss out on Ty Olsson actually paying for something. Poor bastard, though, that’s two things he’s lucked out of, drawing short straw for Christmas duty, and then backing the Seahawks.” Grinning, he shrugged on his white lab coat and and started to button it up.

“Well, serves him right for betting against the Cowboys! But, yeah, Ty paying anything is an occasion unto itself. Okay, you sure you’re okay? You been pushing it for a while. What are you planning to do on your time off, if you don’t mind me askin’?”

“Actually, so far I don’t have anything firm planned. I’m thinking about visiting my mom, back in Chicago. It’s been ages since I saw her last, what with med school and all. She’s got a new boyfriend, Shawn. Not sure how I feel about that, he’s only about five years older than me. But I got two weeks on the sofa to figure it out.”

“Chicago, is it? My condolences, you’d better dress warm, son.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. But it will be nice to get back home, see some friends. And I think you’re right, this Christmas break can’t come soon enough. Only four more days.”

“Yup. It’s just what the doctor ordered.” JD smiled in reference to the fact that the MIS program had no surgeries planned for the two-week period over the holidays. Of course, the hospital was still open, and Ty and a more senior surgeon, Dr. Kim Rhodes, would be on call for any emergencies. But otherwise, most of the MIS staff were on break.

“You and your wife have any plans? Or are you just going to go hide on that beautiful island of yours?” Jared smiled. It was a well-known fact that JD came from money, and the family had a small island an hour and a half's drive north up the coast from Seattle near Camano Island, complete with a big house and guest cottages. JD had hosted a bash there for the MIS staff one weekend in the summer.

“Nah, too cold out there this time of year. Nope, the wife wants to go skiing in Whistler. Personally I hate the snow, but there’s always the ski lodge.” JD grinned wolfishly.

Jared snorted. It was a well-known fact that JD was as loyal as the day was long and doted on his winsome wife Alaina.

“See you tomorrow, Jare. And if you change your mind, you can always use our cottage if you want over the holidays.”

“It would be great, but if I don’t go see my mom she’s gonna kick my butt.” Jared grinned and grabbed his purple stethoscope off the hook inside his locker before slamming it shut.

“Well if you change your mind, just drop by my office and I’ll get you the keys.” JD slapped Jared on the shoulder. “Later, I got work to finish up.”

 

Jared made his way to recovery and checked in on Amy. He checked her pulse, closing his eyes for a few seconds as he sat beside the sleeping girl. Satisfied her heart rate was steady and strong, he blew out a relieved breath, and rose to make his way to the waiting room and her anxiously waiting parents.

“Mr. And Mrs. Harrington?” He recognized Amy’s mom and dad from previous consults. He stretched out his hand to Mr. Harrington as the couple rose eagerly from their seats.

Mr. Harrington returned Jared’s handshake with a firm and steady grip, but Jared could see the worry in his eyes. “Is our Amy going to be okay?” Sara Harrington’s voice was wrecked, her face blotchy from crying. Jared squeezed her shoulder gently, and the woman seemed to calm.

“The surgery went perfectly,” Jared assured them. “No complications. She’s a strong girl, Mr. and Mrs. Harrington. I think Amy will make a full recovery. And with full heart function, there’ll be nothing to hold her back, now.”

“You think so?” Mr. Harrington’s gaze was hopeful. “We’d been told in the past by other surgeons that there was only a 50-50 chance of full recovery.”

“Well, the scans can only tell us so much. Her heart was in much better shape than we had thought, so I’m very hopeful. Now, I know for a fact that she’ll sleep through the rest of the night and much of the morning, so why don’t you folks go home and get some rest? Amy’s going to need you tomorrow.”

“Thank you doctor, thank you so much,” Mrs. Harrington said with a sob of relief.

“Yes, thank you, Dr. Padalecki. You’ve been amazing.” Mr. Harrington squeezed his wife’s shoulder, wrapping her close. “This is a miracle.”

“Just part of the service.” Jared smiled gently, “Now, seriously, go rest. Trust me when I say she’s in good hands.”

 

The rest of Jared’s rounds went quickly. He only had three children still in recovery. A soft touch here, a hand on the forehead there, and he had fully satisfied himself that all were healing nicely.

He strode out of the hospital to a chorus of “Good night Dr. Padalecki” and waves from various staff members he’d gotten to know in the six months he had interned here. St. Mary’s had been an easy hospital to make home. Of the three hospitals where he’d done his field rotations, St. Mary’s had stood out from the rest. It had a minimally invasive surgical program, it was located in Seattle, about as far from Chicago winters as you could get, and it had been the only children’s hospital where he’d applied to work. The thought of his surgical skills being used to heal young children had won Jared over instantly, and he was hopeful JD Morgan would make a full time spot available to him after he'd finished his residency.

Thunder had rumbled through the halls of the hospital for the last half hour, but the threatening rain had held off until Jared reached the hospital doors.. Cursing softly, Jared made a mad dash to his truck. Unfortunately, his long-legged run didn’t prevent him from being completely soaked through by the time he got inside the cab.

Wet and exhausted, he let his head slump wearily back against the seat's headrest. The temptation to curl up in the cold cab of the truck and sleep warred briefly with the lure of his warm, king-size bed at home. With a disgruntled sigh, he forced himself upright and started the truck. Home it was.

: : :

Jensen shoved his way out of Chris’s smothering embrace with a bitten-off cry. It hurt, it hurt so much everywhere, and he couldn’t listen to one word more. “I just… just give me a minute, Chris. I need…I need time to think,” Jensen stammered as he stumbled out the service door. There wasn’t enough air in the room at Elta’s. He didn’t understand how he could still be breathing. His chest was hot and tight, like a giant blade had been shoved through his heart and twisted.

The door banged shut behind him and he was outside. The cold was shocking but welcome as he hunched over, grabbing his knees as he sucked in ragged breaths. He rose unsteadily and clamped his knuckles against his forehead in a desperate attempt to ease the pounding in his brain. His glasses were missing, probably knocked off his face in his reckless bid for freedom. Something touched his face, something cold. He tipped back his head, and cold rain mixed with the scalding hot tears that he couldn’t hold back any longer.

The door behind him creaked open. Jensen didn’t realize what he was doing until he was already halfway down the lane. “Jensen please, fuck man, it’s snowing out there.” Chris’ concerned voice shouted after him, followed by Dani’s “Come back, Jen! Come back! It’s dangerous.” Their voices sounded faint and far away. All he knew was, he had to get away. His hands stretched out, reaching for the wall of the alley. Finally, his fingers touched the rough glazing, and he collapsed against the cold stone. He heard his friends call after him as they followed, but, unable to face them, he found a dumpster big enough to hide him and crouched behind it.

As the snow continued to fall, he listened as his friends ran past him. Listened, with tears running down his cheeks. Listened and waited there, chest heaving, for the pain to subside.

: : :

His evening had gone with no warning from an ordinary night at work to a catastrophic shitstorm. “Sorry Jen, I just don’t think it’s working out. I want different things than you. You insisting on staying at Elta’s, and that dump you call home… Hell, wanting to keep on playing with Chris’s lame-ass band, when you could be home in my penthouse with me!. I run a multimillion-dollar company, and you don’t want to be seen with me., We don't even get together anymore, not since… Well, whatever. Point is, it’s not working for me.”

“But, you said you loved me, you wanted me to pursue my music.” Jensen reached for Matt, his questing hands finally able to latch onto his jacket.

“That was before it became obvious it was too hard on you.” Matt’s voice was hard, cold. He tried to shove him away but Jensen held fast.

“You mean after the accident?”

“Yeah, all right, I meant after the accident. You think I like this?” Matt’s voice had risen in volume. “You think I like you like this?”

“You mean – blind?” Jensen’s voice was nearly a whisper. “You said it didn’t matter. You said you thought we could make it work.” Hurt welled up and closed his throat. He wondered if it was possible to break into more pieces than he already had.

“I did! I thought we could make it work. But it’s too hard, Jen. You’re too hard, too bitter. I can’t do it anymore. I won’t do it. And…”

“And…” Jensen forced himself to croak a response.

“And there’s Chad.”

Jensen’s hands dropped to his sides like the cut strings of a puppet, shock draining him of any ability to speak. He wished he could just disappear, melt into the floor and go away. But there was this pain in his chest, and Matt kept on talking, his words like blades.

“I like Chad a lot. And he’s pretty, and he’s fun. And we can go out and I don’t…”

Matt’s rambling ode to Chad was cut off as Jensen broke in. “Don’t have to lead him around like a blind man. What, am I cramping your style at all your fancy parties? Is that what you’re saying? It was your goddamn drunk driving that did this to me.” Angry words poured out of Jensen like lava. With no thought to his actions, his hand clenched, and Jensen was swinging. His fist connected with Matt’s jaw with a satisfying crunch, and he staggered back. Matt’s snarl was Jensen’s only warning, before his fist connected with Jensen’s stomach. He doubled over in pain and fell to the floor.

There was shouting, and Chris and Danni and Alona were suddenly there, and someone was pulling Jensen back, away from Matt, who was screaming. “I hate you, you sanctimonious prick! I hate you I and never want to see you again!” Matt was cursing and kicking at him, and inside, Jensen died a little more.

“I won’t let you ruin the rest of my life. I won’t feel guilty for wanting to be happy, to go places with the man I love. You knew I was drunk when you got in the car with me!” Matt screamed, and Jensen could hear some kind of a fight break out – a dull thud and Matt’s grunt of pain, followed by Chris’s voice filled with grim satisfaction. “Get your skinny ass out of here, you asshole. He’s better off without you, anyway.” There was the jingle of the door opening, some scuffling sounds, and Chris’s growl, as the door clattered closed. “Self-centered fuck….Just because he’s rich he thinks….”

Chris stopped speaking as a high pitched keening sound filled the coffee shop, like something was dying, a braying, ugly noise, and just before he blacked out, Jensen realized it was him.

: : :

The snow had turned to Seattle’s more typical rain by the time Jensen collected himself and pushed away from the dumpster. He ran the back of his hand over his face, wiping away the last tears, and stood there shivering. The tank top and board shorts he usually wore for washing dishes in the hot kitchen didn’t cut it outside in a storm. His coat, hat, hell, even his cell were all safely back at Elta’s. Drenched through, he realized if he didn’t get home soon, he could freeze out here.

Shouldn’t be too hard, he thought, the route was pretty idiot-proof. He’d walked himself home many times. Without his cane, he let his fingers trail along the alley wall. He rounded the next corner and started to count the five hundred and two steps toward his apartment.

As he walked, he tried to figure out what had gone wrong between Matt and him, and came to the sad realization that it was him. No one could ever seriously want to be in love with a blind man, it was ludicrous to think otherwise. Jensen knew that his looks attracted a lot of attention, but all they wanted was sex. No one wanted to be stuck babysitting a blind man for the rest of their lives. Matt certainly hadn’t. That was okay though, he could love ‘em and leave ‘em, too. From here on, Jensen vowed to never fall in love again.

It was only after he had reached 550 steps that he had to admit he was lost. In his mad dash from Elta’s, he must have gone past the first cross street. He was lucky he hadn’t been run over. Exhausted and disheartened, he slumped against the cold brick, the rain a steady patter in his ear, until he heard the deep rumble of a vehicle approaching. Eager for help, he pushed himself away from the wall.

 

: : :

Jared had been dead tired when he left the hospital, but his mad sprint across the parking lot and the chill air had given him a second wind. And with that second wind a hunger started to burn. Maybe it was the surgeons' supposed God complex, but something about a successful surgery brought out the horndog in him.

"Seriously?” he asked himself as he looked down at the erection tenting his scrubs. He banged his hand on the steering wheel and briefly considered his dismal stash of spank bank material at home.

He knew, if he’d been into it, there was a line of pretty nurses and even a few interns he could easily hook up with, but he didn’t swing that way. And calling attention to the fact he was gay didn’t seem like a good idea for a man with mounting student debt and a mom who was struggling to stay afloat herself.

No, in the past, he’d spanked the monkey in his shower and got on with the job. But tonight, tonight he wanted more, some kind of connection.

Renting a hooker, a complete stranger, was something he’d never done before, but the idea blazed in his mind like a brushfire. It was sleazy. As a doctor he knew the chance of exposure to disease, and it was dangerous as all hell. Okay, well maybe not for him, coming in at 240lbs and tall with it, but whatever. At the very least, he’d have a warm body to share time with. Maybe not the deepest relationship in the world, but it was a start.

He considered calling an escort service he had the number for here in Seattle, but it seemed too sterile, not even meeting the person ahead of time. It was only when he found himself slowing as he exited the hospital parking lot that he realized he had another option. Seattle’s infamous River street was only a couple blocks from the hospital.

Jared pressed down on his growing erection and considered his options. He could at least go and take a look. He couldn’t help but wonder what the fifty bucks in his pocket would buy. So instead of heading for his warm bed, he found himself turning off from his regular route and heading toward ‘The Strip’ to see what the night might bring.

 

His first rent boy experience might have to wait for better weather, Jared mused, as he idled down the poorly-lit street. The shift to rain seemed to have driven off even the most ambitious streetwalkers, and Jared was the only vehicle doing a slow pass along this seedy stretch of road. He was just about to speed up and start home, when he saw a flash of white out of the corner of his eye. Through the steady whush of his wiper blades, he watched as one lone rent boy pushed away from a graffiti-covered building and stepped into the pooled light of a street lamp. Jared licked his lips nervously and tried not to gawk.

Even in the rain, the man was beautiful. Short, spiky hair framed the face of an angel, complete with bee-stung lips and wide doe eyes. His white wifebeater was plastered to his chest by the rain, perky nipples on full display, while the board shorts he wore left nothing to the imagination, clearly outlining all the man’s considerable assets as well as showing off two adorably bowed legs. And he was tall, easily six foot, maybe six one, and broad shouldered. A good match for Jared’s even bigger frame.

Jared swallowed hard, and his cock twitched in anticipation. “Easy, boy. We haven’t even got a deal yet.” All pretext of ‘just looking’ went out the window as this wet dream approached his truck. Jared hit the button to roll down his window.

“Hey!” he called out. The man, in his early twenties at least and not a boy, as Jared first thought, paused mid-step and tilted his head alluringly. Suddenly shy, Jared picked at non-existent lint on his leg and called again. “What are you doing out in this cold and rain?”

 _Looking for fun, hopefully._ What kind of an idiot was he? Jared rolled his eyes at his own stupidity, but the hooker flickered a grimace, his gaze cast down as if embarrassed, before confessing, “Actually, I’m lost.”

 _Lost,_ _rrriiighhht_ _._ Jared smirked. Was this the way they did this? Some kind of code in case he was a cop?

“Well, maybe I can help.” _Fifty bucks worth of help anyway_ … Jared smiled. Two could play this game.

“That would be awesome, buddy. I could really use a lift. I’m pretty sure I’m close, 1427 Broadview. Do you know where that is?”

Jared’s eyebrows rose. Oh! So they would go to his place. Perfect!

“Ahh, sure, it’s just two streets over and back a bit, super convenient. Hop in.”

The beautiful young man’s eyes fluttered alluringly in the rain as he reached his arms out and walked toward the truck. Blinking stupidly, Jared realized he was probably scared of slipping. He should jump out and help the guy in. That’s what a gentleman did, right? “Hold on,” he called out as he grabbed at his door handle “I’ll help you.”

By the time he got around to the passenger side, the guy had managed to open the door but seemed to be struggling to find the step to the cab.

“Just a little to your right and up a bit. Here, I can help you up.” Jared offered and put a steadying hand under the beautiful man’s elbow.

As the young man glanced up at him, the street light caught his face. At that moment, Jared realized two things: this was probably the most beautiful man he had ever seen in his life, and that he was also most definitely blind.

“But you’re blind?” Jared blurted out.

“You don’t give rides to blind people?” the hooker replied, his mouth quirked in a crooked smile.

“How, how do you do your business, being blind?”

“What? What business, huh? Listen, buddy, if this is a problem, just point me in the direction toward Broadview, and I can find my own way.” The man pulled away from Jared’s loose hold on his arm and stepped back, bumping into the open door, his fingers curled into fists.

“No, no, that’s not what I meant. I mean how can you be a hooker being blind? Isn’t it too dangerous?”

“A hooker? What the hell do you think is going on here? I’m no hooker.”

“What?” Jared’s hands dropped to his side in shock. “I thought you were just… cause of the cops, being coy or something.”

“Listen guy,” Jensen snarled, backing away, “I don’t know what kind of idea you have about me, but all I wanted was a ride home. I’m cold and wet, and I forgot my wallet and cell, and wanted to get home. I wasn’t looking for a quick lay.”

Guilt knocked Jared back a step, his hands raked through his hair in confusion and indecision. What the hell had he done? “Oh my God, I can’t believe this! Wait, hold on man, I am so sorry. This was a total screw-up. My bad.” Jared’s hand went over his heart as he pleaded, “Please. Get in, I’ll drive you. No sex, I promise.”

The man snorted, “Yeah, that’s comforting. Maybe you just want to get me in your truck to take advantage of me. Screw over the blind guy. Nice.”

“Honestly no. I’m a doctor!”

“Really? And I’m a lawyer, or I play one on TV. Jesus buddy, I’m blind, not stupid. Just tell me which way to walk and I’m out of your hair.” Using his hand to guide him, the man stumbled away from the truck and gazed sightlessly down the street in either direction.

“No, wait, you’re freezing, and it’s cold. Honest. I won’t do anything.”

“Says the man who goes out on dark, rainy nights looking for hookers.”

The man wrapped his arms defensively around his chest as a tremor ran through his body. Jared felt like a complete fool; now that he could see him more closely, he could see the goosebumps on the man’s arms, the weary slump of his shoulders and the deadly pale tint to his skin. He’d been so blinded by the man’s beauty, he should have realized sooner something was off. What hooker would be out dressed like this in this weather?

“You know, I don’t know who goes out for a hooker on a night like this other than me, and I’m a complete idiot. Look, I took one look at you….ugh, never mind. But trust me, I’m really a surgeon, over at St. Mary’s, Jared Padalecki, and I’m dead serious about the ride. At least let me take you home to make this up to you. Nothing else, I swear.”

The man’s shivers had become more obvious, and Jared was seriously concerned. “Listen, man, you’re close to hypothermia. Come on, let me help you into the truck and at least get you warm.”

The man hesitated but held his ground, standing stubbornly in the pouring rain as he considered Jared’s offer. “Okay, you’re either the nerviest serial killer I’ve ever met, or this is all on the up and up. And at this point I’m too frozen to care. I’d appreciate a ride home.”

Jared heaved a sigh of relief and stepped closer to ask “Is it okay if I help you?” before he attempted to touch the man again. The man took another step back and hugged himself harder. More than the great beauty Jared had first thought of him as, the man was beginning to resemble an adorably drenched cat as he hissed softly, “Only a ride home. Clear?”

“Totally clear,” Jared replied in earnest.

Jared helped bundle the man into the truck. It was only as he helped him with the seat belt that he realized just how dangerously cold the man was. He hurried around to the driver’s side, turned the seat warmers on, and set the temperature to max, directing all the heating vents toward his drenched passenger.

“Sorry, I don’t even have a coat in the car. The weather kind of took me by surprise, too.”

“S’okay, I’ll be home soon.” The man said, his teeth audibly chattering now as he held his hands up against the warm air vents.

Jared did a quick U turn and headed toward the address he’d been told. Glancing over he asked, “So, what should I call you? I mean I can’t keep referring to you as ‘the guy’ in my head.”

The man angled his face towards Jared, brows arched, “What? ‘The hooker’ isn’t quite cutting it for you?”

“Honestly, no,” Jared said dryly.

The man sighed and stretched out a hand. Jared switched hands on the wheel so he could shake it.

“Jensen, Jensen Ackles at your service.” He jerked his hand away and added quickly, “But not, not that kind of service.”

Jared huffed a little laugh and said, "Yeah, got it."

Jensen smirked and went back to warming his hands.

Somehow, Jensen looked like a Jensen, with his refined nose, high cheekbones, and full lips. Classy, even in a wifebeater and board shorts.

“Like I said, I'm really sorry, man. But I'm pleased to meet you.” Jared appreciated the firm grip. “So if you don’t mind me asking, have you always been blind?”

Jensen snorted in derision. “Sorry, sensitive topic. I just broke up with my boyfriend tonight, or more accurately, he broke up with me. It was his drunk driving that did this, over a year ago. He was driving me to a gig, and, well…”

Jensen gestured towards his eyes. “Never drink and drive, my friend.”

“Whoa, so that’s why you were out in this rain, that same guy just dumped you?“

“Yeah, sucks to be me, right?”

“Sorry, man. It really does. So, there’s no hope?”

“Hope? For our relationship or my eyes?”

Jared started to sputter, but Jensen waved a hand, “No, I get it, and no, there’s no hope of anything. The lights are out for good, man.”

Conversation trailed off for a bit, but Jared found himself fascinated by his bristly passenger and didn’t want to see Jensen leave without finding out more about him.

“Um, so you know I’m a surgeon. What do you do, or did?”

“Nice, really sensitive around the blind guy.” Jensen tone was scornful and Jared’s heart sank.

“I’m sorry, man, just trying to make small talk.”

: : :

Jensen shook his head. he didn’t understand why he was giving this guy the gears so hard. He was actually being kind of sweet. “No, it’s me who should be sorry. I’m just in a mood.” Jensen exhaled raggedly. What he needed was a kick in the ass. His sharp tongue was going to drive everyone away, even this kind of goofy–if horny–good Samaritan. “Okay, so the deal is, I’m a dishwasher over at Elta’s. It’s the only job I could get after… after the accident. What I was trying to be was a full-time musician.”

“Musician? What do you play?” Jared sounded interested.

“Uh, guitar, piano, but mostly guitar. Why, do you play?”

“Umm well, no. But it’s cool that you do.”

Jensen sighed, “Yeah, well, I was on my way to being something, but now all I get are mercy gigs with my friend's band. It’s okay, but I really thought I had a shot.”

“Well, being blind shouldn’t stop you from playing…should it?”

“Yeah, says the guy who doesn’t play.” Jensen groaned. He needed to get control over his sharp tongue. No wonder Matt dumped him. How long had he been this bad, and not even noticed? He raked his hands through his wet hair and tried again. “Don’t mind me. The accident happened around this time last Christmas, and now Matt…I’m pretty messed up tonight. I thought my life couldn’t have turned to more crap than it already has, but I guess I was wrong.”

Jensen rubbed his hands in front of the warm air vent, “But hey, enough about me. I’m doing nothing but harshing your vibe here. You said you were celebrating, buying yourself a hooker and all. Did you save someone’s life or something?”

Jared nodded, then realized Jensen couldn't see him nod, and spoke. “Yeah, surgery on a little girl’s heart today. It means she can live a normal life now.”

“Wow, right now I’d settle on having mine removed,” Jensen muttered, as the ache in his heart flared.

Jared slowed the truck as the numbers started to get close.

“Well, if you like country music, maybe you could come see our show sometime? Band’s name is Kane, and we play pretty regular down by Pier 55 at the Long Horn.” Jensen didn’t know why, but he suddenly didn’t want Jared to just walk out of his life. “Maybe we could give this getting to know each other thing another try, under better circumstances?”

Jared felt like he was reeling. Being in the cab with Jensen for ten minutes was like trying to stay on one of those mechanical bull rides, exhilarating and challenging all at once. Jensen’s unexpected olive branch took Jared by surprise. “A do-over? Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Yeah, me, too,” Jensen answered sincerely.

“Okay, I’ll come see you some time, and no mention of hookers, I promise.”

Jensen chuckled, and the warm sound did funny things to Jared’s heart.

Jared glanced out the window and did a double take at the number. At first he thought he must have the wrong address. The building looked like a tear down, an old three story walk-up that, even in the dark, looked like it had seen better days. “Um, I think we’re here.”

“Does it look like a shithole?” Jensen turned to Jared, one eyebrow cocked – a real smartass, Jared grinned. “Ahh, yeah... kind of.”

“Then it’s the right place.” Jensen opened the door and hopped down. “Hey, thanks, man.“

“Wait shouldn’t I, like, walk you in, or something?”

“Nah, I know my own building. Listen, I know we had a rough start here.”

Jared rolled his eyes, “You’re tellin’ me.”

Jensen threw back his head and laughed. It was a beautiful laugh that completely transformed his face into something less…hard. “…But you really did me a solid. Drop by Elta’s sometime, and I’ll buy you a coffee. I don’t think it’s that far from St. Mary’s. Or if you’re really brave, come see me play with Kane.” Jensen smiled and nodded toward the building. “Am I just in front of the doors?”

“Yeah, yeah, you are.”

“Awesome. Later, man.”

The slammed truck door cut off Jared’s delayed, “…Later.”

He watched through the rain-covered window as Jensen made his way carefully to the main entrance and disappeared inside. He continued to sit as the force of Jensen’s presence seemed to linger in the cab, until he realized he was waiting for one of the windows to light. Of course, Jensen wouldn't bother turning it on.

Shaking his head at the ridiculousness of the situation he’d gotten himself into, Jared shifted into gear and pulled away. The rain had picked up, and for most of the drive home, he needed to concentrate on his driving. It was only later, as he lay in his king-sized bed that barely fit his lanky frame, that his mind was able to return to Jensen.

Unable to stop thinking about the beautiful man he’d just unwittingly rescued, Jared rolled over in bed, mashing his pillow in frustration. When he finally fell asleep he dreamed about healing Jensen, the sight returning to his eyes.

When Jared woke the next morning, the dream was already starting to fade.

: : :

For a change, Tuesday brought no surgeries or scheduled meetings, so Jared barricaded himself in his office and tried to clear up all the paperwork he knew had piled up on him. It was only three more days until the Christmas break, and Ty was going to be watching his patients over the holidays. Jared didn’t want some leftover paperwork forcing him back to the office early.

It was nearing lunch by the time he had cleared off his desk and completed his usual rounds to check on his kids’ progress. He felt restless. Normally, Jared was more than happy with the hospital cafeteria food. But today he had a different craving. Of course, it might have something to do with wanting to see the beautiful young man again. He’d checked, and Elta’s was only a few blocks away. The perfect distance for a nice walk.

It was snowing again as Jared made the short walk to Elta’s – unseasonal for Seattle to see this much snow. And although Jared hated the cold, the big fat flakes were beautiful drifting through the gray sky, giving everything a storybook quality. The little diner looked cleaner and newer than any of the neighboring shops on the block. Huddled on the main floor of an otherwise slightly rundown five-story on the divide between the business district and the funkier arts quarter, nestled between a chain copy shop and a locksmith, Elta's exterior stood out with its hip diner style aluminum cladding, like a 1950s train car. Green and white striped awnings sprinkled with fresh snow projected over its large front windows, and there was a wide sidewalk out front that he was sure boasted outdoor seating in summer. A big sign over the door with “Elta’s” in green neon script finished out the look.

Inside the big double doors were two neat rows of funky booths lining one side of the shop, and round tables with circles of comfy chairs on the other. A retro 50’s theme was firmly in evidence, with chrome countertops, Sputnik-patterned fabrics, and, instead of slick vinyl, they’d gone with comfy, cushy velvets in the coffee lounge. Browns, golds, and touches of turquoise were the colors of the day, along with retro Edison light fixtures that cast a warm, welcoming glow over everything inside. A long counter and an equally big bake case dominated the main entrance of the room.

Two long lines greeted him. One was doing an exceptionally brisk business in pre-made sandwiches and pastries of all descriptions. The second line, which moved along equally fast, was for seats on the diner side. In no time he was escorted to a booth by a tall, exceptionally pretty redhead who gave him a big smile and handed him a menu.

He glanced around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jensen while he slowly unwound his scarf and removed his coat. Unable to spot the man, he reluctantly took his seat. The waitress returned rather quickly and surveyed Jared with an interested eye. “Haven’t seen you ‘round these parts before. You new to the area?”

Blushing, Jared played with the edge of the tabletop, “Ah, yeah, just started working at the hospital. Heard you had a great place here. Any recommendations?”

The woman shrugged, “We do try. I’m Danneel, by the way. I run the place, own it actually. And no real recommendations. I like just about everything our chef Chris cooks. His lasagna today is particularly good. Coffee to start?”

“Um, cappuccino would be great!”

“Sure, I’ll be right back to take your order.”

Jared nodded, and Danneel retreated behind a large gold espresso machine on the coffee lounge side of the counter. He had started to wonder if Jensen was even at work today, when a server exited from a door behind the counter, and he caught a glimpse of Jensen at work in the back. Jared swallowed hard at the sight of the man in yet another wifebeater, but different board shorts, his spiky hair covered by a green bandanna, face partially obscured by a pair of sunglasses. In the daylight Jensen’s lean, muscular frame was fully in evidence, and Jared felt a sudden spike of arousal.

Danneel appeared, cappuccino in hand, completely breaking the mood. “See something you like?” she said, her gaze following Jared’s before he hastily looked down at his menu. “Umm, the spring salad sounds good, lots of walnuts.”

“Sure, hon.” Danneel looked like she was going to say something, but then shrugged and headed off to place his order.

Jared tried to be more circumspect as he waited for the kitchen door to swing open and give him another tantalizing glimpse of Jensen. When his meal arrived, he shoveled a forkful of the salad in his mouth, not expecting much from diner food, and actually had to stop mid-chew. The salad was delicious. Beyond delicious, more like five star quality. Far above the normal caliber of diner food. The complex flavors were meant to be savored, a light strawberry vinaigrette, toasted walnuts that had been baked and seasoned with some decadent, crumbly crust, and a delicate selection of what Jared was sure were organic greens.

Humming happily to himself, he devoured the delicious salad in record time while catching stolen glances of Jensen in the kitchen. In the daylight Jensen appeared older than he had appeared the other night. Maybe twenty-five, twenty-six, not so far from Jared’s twenty-eight. He started to wonder if there was such a thing as love at first sight.

Salad devoured, but not quite able to bring himself to leave Jensen’s presence yet, Jared treated himself to a second cappuccino and a pecan butter tart, just for the hell of it.

Danneel stopped by his table and cocked a brow at him, “Real sweet tooth, right? You should try our triple chocolate fudge cake sometime. Kane only makes it on Fridays, sort of a sweet way to end the week, it’s super delish. So, did you enjoy your lunch?”

“Absolutely, everything was amazing. Actually, way beyond amazing. No wonder you have a line.” Jared glanced over, and even as the lunch hour was ending, the line for take-out was still out the door.

“Well, spread the word.” She smiled as she laid the bill on the table and pushed it toward him. “We give a ten percent discount to health care personnel.”

Flustered, Jared fumbled for his wallet, “Well that’s awfully nice. I’ll tell my co-workers, maybe have some of our department luncheons here.” He could feel the red flush rising up the back of his neck.

“That would be awesome, doc.”

Curious, Jared tipped his head sideways, as he pushed a few bills toward her. “How did you know I was a doctor?”

“Well the name tag and the stethoscope were a good clue.” Danneel smiled as she gave him his change.

Jared shook his head, “Oh, right! Of course.”

“Relax Doc. I don’t bite. Not unless you want me to.”

: : :

“I think I’m in love.” Danneel sighed dramatically as she leaned against the bake case and watched the handsome new doctor finish his cappuccino and stand. He hesitated briefly, looking toward the counter, looking for her, Danneel was quite sure, and started to come her way. But a beeping sound stopped him in his tracks. He grabbed the beeper on his belt and checked the number, then pulled out his phone. An anxious phone call later, he took one more longing look toward the main counter, then reluctantly shook his head and hurried to wrap his scarf around his long, elegant neck. He shrugged into his black peacoat and rushed out the door. Danni resisted the urge to sigh again. He had been coming to talk to her, she was sure. Now, she was in serious smit, and she knew it.

Alona gave her a quick hug as she breezed by on her way to the cappuccino machine. “Who with? Tall, dark and shaggy over there?” Alona smiled and tossed her white blonde hair back as she picked up cups and saucers and set them on the machine. Alona had been Danni’s best friend and staunchest supporter of her dream to start a diner since she moved to Seattle five years ago and answered an ad to share an apartment with her.

“Not shaggy. Okay, well maybe a bit shaggy, but oh so gorgeous.”

“I never saw him before, who is he?” Alona asked, pulling levers and sending a billowing cloud of steam into the air as she worked the machine.

“A doctor. A McSteamy, A tall, dark, and McSteamy.” Danneel gushed.

Alona laughed brightly, “God, you make him sound like a coffee. You been working here too long, Dani. You have to get out more.” As she passed by her with an espresso in each hand, she poked Danneel with her elbow. “So? Did you get his number?”

“Noooo, not yet.” Danneel straightened and pressed her hands down along her apron-covered thighs in determination. “But I plan to. That doctor’s mine!”

“Who’s yours?” With the lunch hour rush over, Kane, Elta’s chef and the secret to Dani’s success, emerged from his inner sanctum, his meticulously-run kitchen. He leaned against the service door, wiping his hands on a cloth. Kane’s ash blond, shoulder length hair was tied back behind his ubiquitous bandanna. Today’s sported a Texas flag. Dani had hired the ex-marine on a whim when she first opened. She hadn’t the deep pockets to hire a ‘named’ chef, but Chris Kane had proven himself to be an amazing talent, and Dani fought off bids weekly to lure away her prized chef.

Returning for another order, Alona chirped sunnily. “Dani’s got a boyfriend.”

Danneel snapped a towel at her retreating backside. “Stop it, you!”

A big cheese-eating grin on his face, Kane leaned in to the kitchen and called out, “Hey, you hear that, Jen? Dani’s got a boyfriend.” Turning back to her, blue eyes twinkling, he asked innocently, “So who is he?”

“None of your damn business.” Danneel responded pertly as Jensen, understandably subdued, came to the kitchen door.

“Yeah, who is he, Dani? Enquiring minds want to know.” Jensen’s obvious attempt to sound happy in the wake of his own recent breakup broke Dani’s heart. Forcing herself to smile brightly, she wagged her finger at them. “I know you guys. I tell you and you’ll ruin it somehow, or worse, try to ‘fix me up’ with him. Nuh uh. I’ll never tell.” She crossed her arms resolutely.

Kane and Jensen put on hurt looks. “We’d never!” Kane crossed his heart theatrically, and Jensen put up his hands in surrender, innocent looks on both their faces.

Alona, back again for another pick-up, happily volunteered. “He’s a doctor and new here. Tall, dark, and handsome from what I saw, a real McSteamy. Did you get his name, Dani?”

“Ughh, traitor.” She glared at Alona’s retreating back. “No, but he’ll be back.” Danneel cocked her hip jauntily and with a wave, gestured towards herself. “Who can resist all this?”

“Well if I know you, the guy doesn’t stand a chance. Come on Jensen, the girl doesn't need our help on this one.” Smiling, Kane returned to the kitchen with Jensen in tow.

 

“You okay, brother?” Kane patted Jensen on the back. Other than the brief play acting with Dani, Chris had noticed how quiet Jensen had been today. _Poor kid, fucking tough break_. “Hey, if you want to talk, you know I’m here, right Jen? If that douche Matt can’t see how awesome you are, fuck 'im, right? Fucking spoiled rich kid is all he is. You’ll meet someone else, someone who loves you, and doesn’t use you like a pretty bauble to decorate his arm. You’re so much more than that, man.”

“It’s okay Chris.” Jensen smiled tiredly. The lack of sleep from the events of the night before were starting to take their toll on him, and Jensen was glad he had early shift today.

“Listen, Rich is supposed to be here in half an hour, and you’ve got things pretty much in hand, why don’t you knock off for rest of the day and take tomorrow off? You’ve been through a lot, Jen, and you look like you’re going to fall over.”

Jensen shook his head, but Kane squeezed his shoulder. “S’okay man. The place won’t fall down without you. Besides, you need to be awake enough for our show tomorrow night. It’s for your own good.”

“But what about…”

“Lunch rush is over. You’re golden. Now, go on, I mean it, out! Get some rest. That’s an order. I don’t want to see you back here until Thursday.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Don’t you sir me,” Kane said threateningly, “I ain’t no officer. Now, get!”

“Okay, okay. Can you tell Dani I’m clocking out?”

“Will do, buddy.”

Jensen untied his apron on the way to the back room that also served as their locker and storage area. He shoved his apron in the dirty linen hamper and made his way by memory to his locker. Halfway there he tripped on a pair of roller blades someone had left lying on the floor and landed with a grunt on the floor. He threw the offending skates into the far corner in a fit of rage.

Foul mood officially unleashed, he stalked to his locker and slammed open the unlocked door. The little mirror inside rattled and seemed to mock him. He glowered at it as his fingers traced across the cold glass. He wondered why he hadn’t given it to Dani or Alona; he certainly didn’t need it anymore. Pity party in full swing, he grabbed his coat and jammed his beanie on his head with more force than necessary. Then he grabbed his cane, slammed the locker shut, and stalked to the exit.

It took him the entirety of his walk home to finally cool down. Even the normally soothing tap, tap, tap of his cane only served to infuriate him further, a constant reminder of his life now. Fumbling his way into his apartment, Jensen closed the door, leaned up against it, and let out a deep breath. Safe and secure from the world outside, Jensen’s fury, like a summer storm, melted away in a soundless rush that left him slumped, exhausted, at the foot of his door.

Wearily, Jensen knocked his forehead against his knees. This wasn’t like him. Not at all. Sure, he wasn’t thrilled to be blind, but he was usually able to deal. He still had his music and his friends. Matt leaving had hurt like hell, but it had been building for months. If Jensen was honest with himself, he should have known it was coming.

Sitting there, plucking at the zipper on his coat, he realized what was really bothering him. When Dani had mentioned a cute doctor she was stalking, all Jensen could think about was Jared, the man he’d met the night before. His almost john.

Jensen smiled ruefully. Leave it to him to be interested in a guy who mistook him for a hooker. What did that say about Jensen’s shabby self-esteem, that he was so hungry to be wanted. But potentially skeezy as the situation was, there had been something about that guy that intrigued him. Jared hadn’t talked to him like he was broken, or something to be pitied. They’d bantered back and forth like equals, not the claustrophobic bubble Matt had surrounded him in.

It sparked something in Jensen, a hunger for more. A relationship, hell, a friendship where he could forget, if just for a while, that he was blind. And Jared had tried, but Jensen had shoved him away. Why would Jared Padalecki even bother again with a prickly pear like him?

Rising wearily, Jensen muttered to himself, “Messed up real good, didn’t I?”

: : :

^^ Comments always appreciated no matter when you read the story


	2. The Longhorn

: : :

Chilled, Jared rubbed his hands together. It was cold again tonight. Of course, it was also December, so even California, Jared reasoned, might get cold this time of year. He switched on his truck ignition for what felt like the tenth time, to turn on the defroster to clear the steam from the windows. Then he rushed to turn on the windshield wipers when the lights at Elta’s finally turned off. As he peered through the windshield, he asked himself again why he was sitting here in his truck, in the dark, like some kind of stalker. But he already knew the truth: he wanted to talk to Jensen again, to speak with him without his beeper from work or mistaken hooker identity getting in the way. He chewed nervously on his thumbnail as several people slipped and slid out the diner’s side door onto the snowy street, but so far, no Jensen.

After the last car pulled away he finally admitted defeat. Maybe this hadn’t been the best idea. But he knew Jensen had been at work that day; this should have worked.

“Oh shit!” Jared swore when he glanced at his watch and saw the time. It was quarter past nine and he had been supposed to meet up with his buddies from MIS over an hour ago. Secretly all he wanted to do was head home and beat off to thoughts of Jensen, but he knew he shouldn’t bail on this. It was just a quiet get together at a local bar they favored. A chance to meet, have a beer and watch one last game before they all scattered over the Christmas break, but at this point, he was really late. He put the truck in gear and pulled out of the alleyway he’d been parked in. The guys usually mocked him because he was always so punctual. Tonight, he was sure he would in for some equally serious ribbing from Ty and the boys for rolling in so late. Now all he needed to do was think up a good excuse.

: : :

For the second night’s ‘stakeout’, Jared was much better prepared with coffee and some gummy worms. He didn’t bother rolling in until well past eight thirty. No use sitting in a cold truck for longer than necessary. All day he’d debated going to the diner and simply asking to speak with Jensen, but something about talking to him in front of Jensen’s co-workers, especially the redhead didn’t sit well.

Again, ten or fifteen minutes after nine the lights went out and the diner staff started to leave. Someone who might have been Danneel exited carefully, holding arms with another girl for support on the slippery asphalt. They drifted down the alley shouting some Christmas carol at the top of their lungs, while a few other employees, including one guy carrying a guitar case, scattered in opposite directions. Again, no Jensen.

Jared tapped his fingers in tune with Danneel’s carol as he waited until he was sure everyone had left. More than a little disappointed, second time around he considered his options. Sure, he knew where Jensen lived, but how creepy AND stalkerish would it be to show up at his home unannounced. Probably scare the hell out of the guy. Then a light bulb went on. He remembered Jensen had mentioned playing at some bar, Kane’s, or was it with Kane? No, the band was Kane and the bar was The Longhorn.

He glanced around for wherever the guy with the guitar had disappeared to in time to watch him stow his case in the back of a beat-up station wagon. As the old wagon belched to life, Jared decided to go with a hunch. Feeling a lot like Jack from one of the Jack Reacher novels he had inhaled as a junior, he followed him. He resisted the urge to do a fist pump when the guy’s wagon came to a shuddering stop outside Jensen’s apartment. Twenty minutes later the guy walked out carefully guiding Jensen, carrying a guitar case of his own and the two drove off.

“Now we’re talking,” Jared murmured. Careful to stay well back, but not so far as to risk losing them, Jared trailed them through the city to a little club near the water, glowing neon lights with its name lighting up the street, The Longhorn. _Ha! Nailed it!_ Jared crowed to himself. The men disappeared through a back door and Jared found parking and walked in the front.

The bar was dark and noisy with a Texas theme running through the joint: exposed brick, neon beer signs, and multiple sets of longhorns mounted on the walls, checkered tablecloths, with peanut shells and sawdust on the floor. At the far end of the bar was a small dance area where a few couples were dancing to canned music. Beyond them was a dimly-lit stage with a big Texas flag as a backdrop. Jared took a seat at the bar and ordered what was on tap. As the bartender, a sturdy fridge of a man, pulled a draft, Jared nodded toward the stage and asked, “Hey, anyone playing tonight?”

The bartender smiled broadly, “Only our headliner. You’re in for a treat buddy, Kane’s playing tonight!”

“So they’re good, are they?”

“The best. And they’ll be on in….” The bartender glanced at a big neon clock on the wall at the end of the bar, “In about half an hour.”

“Cool. I’ll go grab myself a seat.”

Jared was on his third beer by the time ‘Kane’ took the stage. And none too soon, the room had already filled to capacity with exuberant fans. The lights went on and a short stocky blond man strode on the stage. Jared recognized him from his purposeful stride to the old station wagon. He was wearing a Cowboy’s t-shirt with the letters KANE on the back and a gray bandana holding back his longish hair. Screams and applause greeted his appearance onstage. Two other band members also took the stage, a drummer and a base guitarist. The last member, who turned out to be the keyboard player, helped guide Jensen, carrying his guitar, to a seat at the front. A few practice drumrolls and a mic check, and Kane started in immediately with _The House Rules_ , which must have been a band standard, because everyone in the place was on their feet, singing along. That song was followed by what must have been another Kane original, _The Redneck Side of Me_. Then Kane slowed it down with his cover of _The Dance_. Through it all, Jensen had been playing and singing backup. Jared was impressed with Jensen’s surprisingly strong voice. He was even more impressed when Kane turned the stage over to Jensen to sing a solo version of _One Call Away_ , a light upbeat cover of Charlie Puth’s song.

Jensen’s voice was clear and light as he sang.

_I'm only one call away_

_I'll be there to save the day_

_Superman got nothing on me_

_I'm only one call away_

_Call me, baby, if you need a friend_

_I just wanna give you love_

_Come on, come on, come on_

_Reaching out to you, so take a chance_

_No matter where you go_

_You know you're not alone_

_I'm only one call away_

_I'll be there to save the day_

_Superman got nothing on me_

_I'm only one call away_

Jared sat there entranced, like the rest of the audience, as Jensen’s voice soared, filling the space with the rich vocals.

When Jensen stood to bow and wave to the audience, Jared watched the blush fill his cheeks. He started to sit down but Kane urged him on and leaned over and whispered in his ear. This time, Jensen stood as he performed Sam Hunt’s _Take Your Time_ , singing into the mic with a passion that roused Jared’s blood.

_I don't know if you were looking at me or not_

_You probably smile like that all the time_

_And I don't mean to bother you but_

_I couldn't just walk by_

_And not say hi_

_And I know your name_

_'Cause everybody in here knows your name_

_And you're not looking for anything right now_

_So I don't wanna come on strong_

_But don't get me wrong_

_Your eyes are so intimidating_

_My heart is pounding but_

_It's just a conversation_

_No girl I'm not gonna waste it_

_You don't know me_

_I don't know you but I want to_

_And I don't wanna steal your freedom_

_I don't wanna change your mind_

_I don't have to make you love me_

_I just want to take your time_

_I don't wanna wreck your Friday_

_I ain't gonna waste my lines_

_I don't have to take your heart_

_I just wanna take your time_

_And I know it starts with hello._

Jared sat there transfixed. Jensen was a beautiful man, but he was even more so when he sang, the bitter, snarky defenses dropping as the real Jensen emerged. His music flowed out over his grateful audience like a magic balm. After that, Kane and Jensen took turns, the crowd cheering and asking for more.

When their break came, the band headed to the bar, joking and laughing. Kane and his band mates were instantly surrounded by several women, all vying for Kane’s attention. Much more reserved, Jensen stood to the side, leaning against the bar, nursing his beer, clearly amused at Kane’s plight.

Knowing this might be his only chance to talk to Jensen before the next set, Jared made his way through the crowd to Jensen’s side.

“Oh, hey,” Jared said, not wanting to startle Jensen, then instantly rolled his eyes at his lame greeting. “I mean hi. It’s Jared.”

Jensen turned, a lopsided smirk on his face. “Oh, hey, back.” Jensen tilted his head sideways, “Are you stalking me?”

Jared swallowed nervously, “Um, well, no, SORT OF. I mean, I did want to talk to you. Just not in a stalkery way. I mean I thought…”

“Jared, Jared,” Jensen’s reassuring hand reached out, his hand fumbling to find and come to rest on Jared’s forearm. “Just kidding, big guy. Relax. I was just trying to be funny. Hey, thanks for coming to check the place out.”

“Well I’m really glad I did,” Jared ran his hand through his hair nervously. “I don’t normally go for country and western, but man, you guys are good – especially you.” Jensen pulled a face at the compliment, but Jared ignored that and continued, “Seriously, you’re great. Besides, it seemed a good way to meet up with you since I couldn’t seem to at Elta’s.”

“Wait, you were at Elta’s? You should have said hi.”

“Um, well I saw you, but you were working and then I got paged, for this emergency at work. Besides, I didn’t want to bother you.” Jared waved to the bartender, “Another beer. You?” he asked Jensen.

Jensen shook his head, “Nah, I’m still good, thanks” as he hefted his half full beer glass. Jared took his draft gratefully from the bartender.

“Wait, were you the doctor that Danneel was all hot and bothered about?”

“What?” Jared could feel his voice rising an octave. “No, not that I know of. You mean the redhead? Tall?” he said, frowning.

“Yup! That’s the one. Is your hair brown? She called you Doctor McSteamy like the coffee.”

A flush was rising up the back of Jared’s neck and spreading over his face. “Jensen, honestly, I was there to see you. I just kind of chickened out doing it.”

“Well just so you know, she’s after you, in a big way. She can be a very persuasive woman.” Jensen waggled his eyebrows and Jared almost snorted his beer up his nose.

“I think I can handle her, I have a few inches on her. Hey, I’m glad I was able to track you down.”

“Me too,” Jensen said softly.

“I don’t mean to go too fast, but I’d really like to get to know you better, Jensen.”

“You mean by the hour?” Jensen arched a brow at Jared and this time Jared knew he was being kidded.

“Hey, that was supposed to be off limits.” Jared said, affronted.

“Sorry, sorry! I just can’t help myself.” Jensen laughed and coughed, choking on his beer, then said, “Okay, go on. I’ll be good.”

“Ugh. You’re bad. No, like as in, I’d like to maybe take you out for dinner, or a coffee sometime.”

“Hmm.” Jensen pressed his lips together in thought and Jared had to stop himself from staring at the shape of Jensen’s mouth and concentrate on what was coming out of it. “My dance card is pretty full.”

“Whenever you can fit me in. Oh, except for the next two weeks. I’m off back east to visit my mom for Christmas.”

“Momma’s boy, huh?”

“That’s me.” Jared grinned. “Should be fun though, it’s the first time I’ve seen her in years.”

“Too busy at school?” Jensen tilted his head and it was the most adorable look Jared had ever seen.

“Nah,” Jared shook his head, “I’m just broke. After eight years of med school, I’m drowning in student debt. I’m gonna have to sell a kidney or something at this rate.”

“Well we wouldn’t want that,” Jensen said dryly.

“No,” Jared laughed, “That would be bad.”

“Well if we are on such a tight schedule, how about you drive me home tonight, and we talk?”

“I–what?” Jared couldn’t hide his surprise.

“You know a ride home, in your truck. Kane goes in the other direction and it will be late. If it’s okay, a ride home from you would be nice. Give us a chance to talk.”

“Yeah, okay, you got it.” Jared agreed eagerly.

“Hey,” Kane appeared at Jensen’s side, a suspicious look on his face as he sized Jared up. “This guy bothering you, Jen?”

“Nah! No, he’s okay. Jared, this is Chris Kane, Chris this is Jared Padalecki.”

Jared tried to keep the shock off his face as his last name slid off Jensen’s tongue perfectly. Hardly anyone got it right the first time. He hadn't expected Jensen would even remember his last name from the other night. Automatically he stuck his hand out, and Kane shook it with a punishingly hard grip.

“Jared’s going to drive me home tonight, Chris. So I’m good.”

“You sure this guy's okay?” Chris reluctantly released Jared’s hand, while he continued to eye him like something you should scrape off your shoe.

“Yeah, he’s good. Don’t worry so much, man.”

“We can talk about this later, right now we need to get our butts back on stage for our next set… Padalecki.” Kane nodded tersely at Jared and grabbed Jensen by the elbow to steer him back on stage.

“Yes, mom!” Jensen mocked as he was ushered away. Over his shoulder, he called to Jared. “See you after the show, Jare.”

As the casual nickname rolled off Jensen’s tongue, a shiver went down Jared’s spine. If asked, Jared wouldn’t have been able to name a single song from the second set. He spent the whole time in anxious anticipation, trying to think of what to say to Jensen on the drive home.

: : :

It was still snowing lightly when they exited the bar late that night. “You sure you’re safe with this Joker?” Kane asked again, frowning as he stowed Jensen’s guitar case behind the truck's front seats and helped Jensen up into the cab.

“I promise, I’ll be fine. I’ll call you when I get home.”

“Okay, but if anything happens, you tell that guy I’ll kick his ass.” Kane pointed an accusing finger at Jared through the open truck door.

“I’m sure he could hear you for himself. We’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. Good night, Chris. Great show!” Jensen closed the door and as they pulled away, he sighed and faced toward Jared. “Sorry about that.”

“He must be a good friend,” Jared replied neutrally.

“He is. He’s awesome and kind and way too overprotective. I’m sorry, you seem to have inherited Chris’ ‘after Matt’ wrath. He’s worried about me.” Jensen was quiet a moment as he fumbled with the seat belt. “But, you know what? Let’s not talk about Chris anymore tonight.”

“What would you like to talk about, then?” Jared said softly, risking a quick glance in Jensen’s direction.

Jensen had opened the truck window and had his right hand out the window, letting the wind buffet it and he played his fingers back and forth in the airstream, fat snowflakes sticking to and melting on his fingertips. The chill night air was bracing, but after the smoky interior of the bar, invigorating as well. “I don’t know.” Jensen replied, weariness bleeding into his voice, “I’m not sure I want to talk about anything. I just want to be, you know, with you.”

Jared nodded, then realized Jensen couldn’t see him, and reached over and squeezed his knee.

“So, when did you start playing?”

“Oh, I’ve been playing since I was thirteen, fourteen. Mom worked all the time. I don’t even remember my dad, Mom said he left when I was four. I filled my nights when she was on night shift at the bakery, playing guitar.”

“You’re good, you know. Like, rock star good.”

Jensen just laughed and slapped Jared on the arm. “Who’s going to hire a blind musician?”

“The Longhorn did,” Jared pointed out.

“The Longhorn hired Kane, who babysits me out of a feeling of responsibility,” Jensen scoffs. “The guy thinks I’m a long lost member of his unit from Desert Storm or something. But on my own…they’d eat me up.”

“If you’re good enough, hiring an assistant wouldn’t really be that big a deal. Look at Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Jeff Healey, all blind, all fantastic successes.”

Jensen actually sat back in his seat, more than a little impressed, “You know who Jeff Healey was?”

“Yeah, a little. But he did it, so you know, there is cause for hope.”

“You’re ruining my pity party with all this hope.” Jensen tipped his head out the window and let the wind rush through his short spikey hair. “Don’t you just love it?”

“What?” Jared smiled as he watched Jensen roll his head back and forth in the wind, the occasional streetlight illuminating his face. He seemed so…tranquil. It was another side of Jensen that Jared had never seen till now.

“The city at night. During the day it’s so loud, so non-stop, but at night, at night it’s quiet, and even though I can’t see it, I know it’s beautiful.”

Jensen pulled his head in and turned toward Jared, a wistful smile on his face.

“So you’re not from around here?” Jared guessed.

“Seattle? Hell no, I grew up in Texas.” Jensen shook his head scattering droplets of melted snowflakes over the cab and Jared as he laughed. “I moved to Seattle on a whim after my mom died when I was eighteen – cancer. At least it happened fast. I still miss her every day. Then, well… I drifted for a while. Was on my way to Nashville to be discovered, but instead, I discovered Kane and started playing with him. My career was coming together, Chris and I were writing our own stuff. It was exciting times. Then Matt came along a year or so after that, and I thought that was it. My guy. Just didn’t turnout that way. What about you?”

“Chicago, by way of San Antonio. Texas born and bred, too,” Jared grinned. “My parents split up when I was twelve, mom moved us out to Chicago to be with her people. She’s a nurse and worked night shift a lot… Unlike you, I did something productive at night, I played Dungeons and Dragons.” Jared smirked and Jensen laughed.

“Is that how you ended up a doctor because your mom was a nurse?”

Jared shrugged. “Nah, I kind of always knew I’d be a doctor, always wanted to make things better.”

“You know, some things you can’t make better, Jare,” Jensen said gently as the truck started to slow. “You understand I can’t be fixed right? I don’t want to be some pet project to you.”

Jared chewed thoughtfully on his lower lip but didn’t respond to Jensen’s statement. After a moment, he asked, “Is that what you were to your ex? A project?”

Jensen seemed a little startled by the question, but he shook his head. “Matt? No, Matt didn’t like the reality of being boyfriends with a blind guy. Really, we’d been over for a while, I just didn't want to let go. I was more upset with losing someone I knew before I was blind than I was losing him, really. I’m going to be much more careful in the future though. I’m not gonna get caught like that again.”

Jared nodded to himself, processing what Jensen had said until he slowed the truck to a stop outside Jensen's apartment building.

“Is this me?” Jensen asked, his tone overly bright in the quiet cab.

“Yep, we’re here.”

“Want to escort me in, make sure nothing gets me? I make a mean chamomile tea.”

“I-I really should …”

“Please. I’d like you to come in.” The fingers of Jensen’s hand knocked up against Jared’s arm. Jensen fingers trailed down Jared’s arm and tugged on his sleeve.

Jared licked his suddenly dry lips. “All right.”

Grabbing the guitar, Jared guided Jensen up the snow slick, broken steps to the front door of his building. At the entrance, Jared paused, and Jensen squeezed his hand reassuringly. The feel of Jensen’s only slightly smaller hand in his felt right, like it belonged there; and Jared let out a nervous chuckle. “I’ve never seen anyone leave your building. This isn’t a scene from some horror movie is it?”

“Hmm, a few neighbors have gone missing…”

“Not helping!”

Jensen gave him a disdainful look and took firm hold of Jared’s hand, “Come on scaredy cat, no one's going to bite. Unless you want them to.” Jensen cocked an eyebrow and grinned wickedly, and pulled Jared toward the stairs. The light was flickering or nonexistent, but Jensen guided him unerringly through the maze of a building. Other than a lot of burnt out light bulbs, inside things actually looked better than its dilapidated exterior would suggest, and was surprisingly clean. Jared had kind of been expecting rats and winos in the hallways, or druggies shooting up.

Two flights later and down the end of a very long hallway of dark gray doors and drab bilious green wallpaper, Jensen finally came to stop outside a bright red door. “I painted it before,” Jensen waved his hand toward the door. “Getting home from a gig at four and five in the morning sometimes, the color never ceased to cheer me up.” Once the door was unlocked, Jensen ushered Jared into his apartment with a gallant bow and sweep of his hands. “After you, sir.”

“Oh yeah, and gotta remember to turn on the lights.” Jensen’s hand traced over the wall until he found the switch and both a tall light stand and an end table lamp came on at the same time. Jared wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but in the soft light, Jensen’s apartment was spotlessly clean and neat as a pin, with several well-used pieces of vintage furniture, including a long sofa and two leather club chairs in good condition. Several different types of stringed instruments hung on the wall, along with a few band posters. A smallish TV graced one corner along, with another wall almost completely lined with bookcases. Several doors led off to the left, presumably a bathroom and a bedroom. Jared nodded approvingly. The little one bedroom felt homey and comfortable, and only slightly smaller than his own place right now.

“Nice place!” he offered.

“Thanks! It’s not much, but it’s home. I keep meaning to donate the books, they’re not much good to me now, but I kind of like having them around, you know? Just hang up your coat over there,” Jensen waved at the corner where an old oak coat rack stood, “Have a seat. _Mi casa es su casa_. I’ll put the kettle on. Oh, and I’ve got to give Chris a quick call too.”

Jared hung his coat up as directed, then stood there awkwardly. It was obvious Jensen had forgotten about the guitar case. He waited patiently with it while Jensen spoke quietly on his phone, repeatedly reassuring Chris he was not going to be murdered over a cup of tea.

When Jensen hung up, Jared asked, “Um, where shall I put your guitar?”

“Oh right! If you could just set it in the corner beside the bookcase, that would be awesome. One of the perils of being blind, you become a neat freak awfully fast if you don’t want to keep faceplanting every time you turn around.” Jensen pulled a face and Jared chuckled.

“Yeah, I could see where that would be incentive.” Jared tucked the guitar away, and then with nothing to do with his hands, felt suddenly awkward. “Um, okay, done. I’ll just sit over here.” Jared knew he was talking too loud, there was nothing wrong with Jensen’s ears, just his sight. Why was this so hard?

“Okay, I’ll be over with the tea in a sec,” Jensen spoke in the same overloud tone. “Relax Jare, you’re doing fine,” he continued kindly in a more normal volume. “So, what do you take in yours? I’ve got honey and lemon.” He held up a little bear filled with honey and his other hand on the fridge handle.

“Wh-whatever you’re having is fine.” Jared rubbed nervous sweat off his forehead and took a seat in a gently worn leather club chair. The leather was battered and worn to a soft sheen. Jared ran his hands over the arms of the overlarge chair, and it helped with the massive headache Jared could feel coming on. Why had he thought this was a good idea? The man had just told him he’d been burnt by his ex. If he said the wrong thing, he could make a total a hash of things with Jensen again. And he no idea how the hell he’d find his way out of this place when Jensen booted him out.

“I’ll just put our tea down here.” Jensen’s voice broke Jared’s chain of thought as the man smiled and placed the two cups on an end table.

“Thanks.” Jared took a sip and set the cup down.

Jensen went over to the bookcase and started to sift through a stack of records. There were Braille tags on the sides of each one. “Anything, in particular, you’d like to hear?”

“You,” Jared said softly as he stretched his hand over to Jensen and rubbed his arm. “If you’re not too tired.”

“Play for you?” Jensen’s eyebrows shot up. Jared had just listened to him all night and he still wanted more? He blew out a ragged breath and thought, what the hell. Why not? “What would you like to hear?” Jensen picked his acoustic guitar off its bracket on the wall instrument and strummed the chords.

“Your choice.” Jared said, “I’d just like to hear your voice without any other distractions.”

Jensen blew out a shaky breath, his heart kicking up a notch as he tuned his instrument. “All right,” he said softly, “Let’s do this.” And started to sing.

_Mama told me when I was young_

_"Come sit beside me, my only son_

_And listen closely to what I say_

_And if you do this it'll help you some sunny day"_

_"Oh, take your time, don't live too fast_

_Troubles will come and they will pass_

_You'll find a woman and you'll find love_

_And don't_ _forget,_ _son, there is someone up above"_

_"And be a simple kind of man_

_Oh, be something you love and understand_

_Baby be a simple kind of man_

_Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can"_

_"Forget your lust for the rich man's gold_

_All that you need is in your soul_

_And you can do this, oh_ _baby,_ _if you try_

_All that I want for you, my son, is to be satisfied"_

_"And be a simple kind of man_

_Oh, be something you love and understand_

_Baby be a simple kind of man_

_Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can"_

_Oh yes, I will…_

As his final chords faded the only sound in the room Jensen set the guitar aside.

When Jared looked up, Jensen was standing quietly in front of him.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Jensen expression was pensive. “Do you mind if I take these off?” Jensen indicated his sunglasses. “Some people get freaked out by the scarring, but I figure with you being a doctor and all… I just get tired of wearing them,” he said by way of explanation.

Jared’s voice was rough and scratchy when he replied, “No, it’s fine, seriously. It’s all good.” In spite of his assurances, it felt like he was falling apart, which was wrong when all he wanted to do was get closer to Jensen.

Jensen carefully placed his glasses beside the tea cups and rubbed his eyelids. “Ahh, nice.” In the shadowy light of the apartment, Jared could hardly notice the damage.

Instead of finding his own seat, Jensen rested his hand on Jared’s shoulder. “You’re doing great. Being around a blind guy can be a little freaky, I know, but you’re doing awesome.”

Jared’s heart swelled in admiration at Jensen’s compassion when he was the injured party, not Jared. He could think of nothing to say in response.

Jensen set a careful knee between Jared and the arm of the chair, then sank to straddle Jared's lap, sitting gently on his knees. He steadied himself with one hand, warm and comforting, on Jared's shoulder. “Is that better?”

Jared's shocked intake of breath was his only response, as Jensen’s other hand crept up around his shoulder, and firm fingers massaged his shoulder muscles. Heart racing, Jared nodded unspeaking.

“How about this?” Jensen whispered, and leaned in to press a kiss along the side of his jaw, “And this?” Slowly Jensen kissed a soft line along Jared’s stubbled jaw toward his mouth.

“And this?” Jensen’s voice was a husky murmur as his tongue licked over Jared’s bottom lip, returning to press gently at the seam, begging entrance.

Jared’s mouth opened on a sigh and Jensen’s tongue swept in, tenderly licking his way inside, wet and warm. Jared moaned, his arms wrapping around Jensen to pull him closer in his embrace. Thus encouraged, Jensen curled in closer, like a big cat, as he sucked and licked at Jared’s mouth and neck. Emboldened, Jared ran his fingers through Jensen’s spiky short hair, caressing his back and arms before he returned to Jensen’s face. He carefully cradled Jensen’s jaw in both hands, his thumbs rubbing over the soft skin on Jensen’s cheeks. Up close he was able to better admire the sprinkling of copper freckles across Jensen’s nose and face that the shadows had kept hidden. They suited him perfectly. For the first time, Jared noticed a jagged scar running from just under Jensen’s ear down under his shirt collar. Jared wanted to follow that scar and see where it led, kiss away the hurt. Panting, Jensen rested his forehead against Jared’s and smiled.

“You didn’t really invite me up here for tea did you?” A tender smile wobbled uncertainly on Jared's lips. Then, Jensen was grinding his butt down enticingly upon Jared's growing erection, and Jared’s thoughts scattered as he dove in for another kiss.

“Maybe not,” Jensen gasped when he came up for air. He stood and pulled Jared to standing. “Bedroom. Now.”

Jared followed willingly. Both men stumbled on the walk to the bedroom, Jensen pulling Jared’s sweater up over his head while Jared fumbled with the buttons on Jensen’s jeans. Laughing, they fell in a heap on Jensen double bed as they continued to undress each other. Jared stripped off Jensen’s black button down, flinging it off to the side, and surveyed Jensen’s bare chest greedily.

Like a starving man, he dove in, licking and nibbling at Jensen’s perfect pink nipples. Jensen threw back his head and moaned like a porn star. “Oh God, Oh God,” he cried, as Jared released one perfect tip only to latch onto the other.

Not stopping there, Jared continued his exploration of Jensen’s trim body, noticing several scars and gouges marring the pink freckled flesh, legacy of the same accident that had robbed Jensen of his sight. He started at the scar under Jensen’s ear, careful to lick and kiss each and every one, he explored his leisurely way down Jensen’s body.

Jared’s cock was steel hard now, just from the taste of Jensen’s flesh. His hands worked Jensen’s jeans down past his hips, tugging the legs down and off completely. And he leaned back and stared in admiration at Jensen’s impressive erection, straining against his briefs. He squeezed his hand gently over Jensen’s turgid flesh, and Jensen moaned. He pulled the damp cloth down so that Jensen's cock sprang free, fully hard and as pink and perfect as the man himself.

Unable to resist, Jared leaned in, his hand grasping the base as he licked a wet line from the base to the head of Jensen's dick. Jensen let out a groan of frustration, hands fisted in the bedsheets. With no further invitation required, Jared swallowed him down and held him deep in his throat as Jensen’s hands flailed, before finding a home in Jared’s hair. Grabbing hold of Jensen’s hips, Jared slowly pulled back, his tongue rubbing along the bottom of Jensen’s cock. After a moment to breathe, Jared swallowed Jensen back down, settling into a brisk pace as he bobbed up and down on Jensen’s cock. Jensen moaned, and his fingers tightened and loosened in Jared’s hair as he fought not to struggle against being held in place. Jared pulled off with a wet plop and, smiling, ran his tongue around the broad mushroom head. Jensen shuddered as Jared licked into his weeping slit, before swallowing him back down again.

Jared watched him through half closed eyes, savoring all the little reactions as Jensen grew more frantic, and a beautiful pink flush blossomed on his cheeks. Jensen tossed his head back, his perfect teeth tugging at his plush bottom lip.

Impishly, Jared’s hand snaked down and rolled Jensen’s lightly furred balls in his hand. A gentle squeeze was all it took and Jensen’s hips twitched, his breathing locked up as he came, shooting his load down Jared’s throat. Jared swallowed around him, milking him of every last drop before gently releasing him.

Jensen flopped back on the bed with a sigh, arms out flung.

“I think I just shot my brains out my dick.” Jensen groused, boneless and dozy from his orgasm, a warm, sexy smile on his face.

“Been a while?” Jared’s voice is a low rumbling purr as he leaned in to Jensen’s ear.

Jensen smiled and mumbled something unintelligible. Chuckling, Jared ran the knuckles of his hand along Jensen’s cheeks.

“That good? Better than tea?”

“So much better than tea.” Jensen’s eyelids fluttered open, a pink flush still covering his face and chest, and turned toward Jared. “Now, your turn, McSteamy.” Jensen’s hand unerringly found Jared’s erection still trapped inside his work dress slacks. “Fuck me,” Jensen whispered.

“I’m all yours, darlin’,” Jared murmured reassuringly.

Nodding, Jensen raised himself up on an elbow to root around in his nightstand. He pulled out a bottle of lube and turned to Jared, suddenly tentative, his lip caught in his teeth worrying it before he finally blurting out,

“I want to feel you. I’ve got condoms, but I’m clean. Matt and I…there's been nobody since. You?”

Jared thought of his desultory track record dating. His voice was husky and an octave deeper when he responded, “You’re talking to the man who blew it hiring his first hooker.” Jared shook his head, “I’m definitely clean.”

“Good,” Jensen breathed as he reached to unbutton Jared’s pants. “Up, up,” Jensen urged, and helped pull Jared’s slacks down over his hips. Jared’s briefs quickly followed, and his thick erection bobbed free. Jensen’s fingers gently traced his length as he sat up to jack Jared a few times. “My, what a big boy you are.”

“Just what the doctor ordered,” Jared smirked, smothering Jensen’s laugh in a hungry kiss. There was nothing gentle about it, as their lips met in a clash of teeth and tongues that left them both gasping for air.

Jared helped ease Jensen onto all fours, clicking the lube bottle open, and slicking two fingers. He pressed and rubbed gently to relax Jensen’s opening before slipping them into Jensen's ass, carefully working him open. Jensen gritted his teeth from the burn, but soon started to squirm, his dick hardening and waving under his belly. Satisfied at last, Jared gave his own cock a few quick tugs before sliding it up the crack of Jensen's ass to nudge on Jensen’s rim. Moaning like the hooker Jared had mistaken him for, Jensen groaned and tried to squirm down the bed to impale himself on Jared’s cock.

“Easy, easy, I’ll get you there,” Jared soothed as he pushed past Jensen’s tough outer ring, then thrust into the heat of Jensen's ass in one swift move.

Jensen’s breath hitched and Jared could feel him clench around him.

“Please Jare, I need...” And Jared let go and began to thrust in and out, jackhammering into Jensen body. Jensen keened as Jared snapped his hips and tried to find that perfect angle that would light Jensen up. Their pleasure built quickly, both too turned on to last long, and Jared cried out in warning, “Jen.” Jensen’s body arched up to him, like a taut bow, and then they were both crying out and spending at the same time, locked in each other's arms.

They stayed together that way until Jared softened and slipped from Jensen’s body. He rose silently from the bed and went to the washroom to clean up. When he returned, Jensen still sprawled in the same position, and Jared tenderly cleaned him, and then started to get dressed. Tomorrow was his last day at work before the holidays. It was going to be crazy, and he needed to get some sleep.

Jensen’s hand reached out and grabbed at him, catching his wrist. “Stay,” His expression was open and vulnerable. Swallowing hard, Jared silently turned off the lights and curled up behind Jensen, pulling him in tight next to his body. “Good,” Jensen murmured pulling Jared’s arm around his waist as he snuggled closer. Jared fell asleep with the warm weight of Jensen next to his heart.

Jared woke to his morning wood grinding against Jensen’s hipbone.

“Oh, uh, sorry.” Jared jerked up in the bed, grabbing a stray blanket to wrap himself in.

“Nothing to be sorry about. Do we have time to take care of that?” Jensen’s husky morning voice sent a jolt of arousal to Jared’s already engorged cock.

Jared glanced at his watch. He was late for morning rounds and it was his last day at work. Damn it and his poor timing. “I’m so sorry, I would love to, but I’m already late and I’ve got to go. Damn it. If we’d only met a few weeks ago I could have changed my plans, but now I’m committed. But I definitely want to see you again.” Jared laughed and grabbed Jensen, and rolled them both across the bed until Jensen was lying sprawled on top of him. They shared a slow lingering kiss.

Breathless, they broke apart and Jared nuzzled Jensen’s neck and jaw, whispering in his ear, “Can I get your number? Maybe we can go out sometime when I get back?” Jared grimaced at his choice of works and Jensen’s mood soured immediately.

“Sure, here you go.” Jensen snatched up his phone and waved his number under Jared’s face too fast to really see. “I understand. I do. Who knew your hooker hook-up would actually pan out. Right?” The suddenly acerbic tone in Jensen’s voice caught Jared totally off guard while Jensen pushed himself, still naked, off the bed, and stormed into the kitchen.

Stunned, Jared just stood there until his brain managed to catch up to his heart. Wrapped in his blanket he followed Jensen out into the kitchen where he was inflicting his rage on the innocent faucet and kettle. “Jensen…. Jen… ” Jared’s voice was low and calm. “Please!”

Jensen’s back stiffened reproachfully. Steeling himself for rebuke, Jared, walked up behind him and, opening his blanket, wrapped the two of them together in its warm embrace. “This isn’t some kind of a trick. And that was a poor choice of words. I do want to see you again. You. And it has nothing to do with pity or your blindness. I want to get to know you.”

“Yeah right.” Jensen sneered.

Jared manhandled Jensen around so that he was pressed against Jared’s chest. He hugged him tight as he looked down at him. Jensen had a petulant look on his face. “Jen, You’re so talented and beautiful. I don’t know why you find it so hard to believe?”

Jensen’s expression softened and he laid his head on Jared’s chest. “I don’t know why I’m being like this. I think… I think it’s because you matter. I want you to matter, but I don’t want to be hurt again, either. So stupid.”

“No, not stupid at all.” Jared murmured and placed his chin on top of Jensen’s head and pulled him tighter into his embrace. “It’s real Jen, don’t doubt it. I feel it too.” He dipped his head down and captured Jensen’s lips in another soul-shattering kiss, blanket forgotten and fallen to the floor. Reluctantly they parted as the kettle started to boil and Jared went to get dressed. This time when they traded numbers, Jensen was pensive but agreeable. Jared could tell that he didn’t quite believe Jared was going to contact him, but he brightened after.

He tipped his head back as though look up into Jared’s face and smiled. “Now, don’t put anything in your text or email that you don’t want the computer voice to read out loud. It could be embarrassing.”

“You’re amazing, you know that?” Unable to resist, Jared swooped down for another kiss. They stood there, kissing for several moments, Jensen’s fingers fluttering across his face as if memorizing his features.

“We’ll talk,” Jared promised, as he left, reluctantly. He wasn’t sure how he made it out of the apartment building, his mind torn between work and the pretty picture Jensen had made, all tousled and sexy as he stood in the kitchen, lips kiss swollen and pink in the early morning light. It was going to be a long two weeks.

: : :

Jensen flopped back onto the bed and groaned, the soft clunk of the door shutting behind Jared still reverberating in his brain. Was he nuts, bringing a guy home after only one night? Jensen stretched and rolled onto his belly, wincing slightly at the unfamiliar ache. It was a good ache, though, Jared had been a generous lover, and Jensen thought there’d been a real connection. He only hoped that he wasn’t riding for a fall.

: : :

^^ Comments always appreciated no matter when you read the story


	3. Bane

: : :

Jensen couldn’t wait for his shift to be over. Normally when he was scraping dishes and filling the washer he was working on a new song in his head, or he and Kane were talking about the game or the band, anything really. But since Jared left time had seemed to grind to a standstill and he had no head to concentrate.

“Got any plans tonight Jen?” Dani asked as they finished closing up the shop and were all crowded in around the lockers putting on their coats and hats.

“Well, I’d like to pick up a few things, but nothing too stressful.”

“Well if you want to pop over later Alona and I are planning a Patrick Swayze night, complete with Road House and Point Break.”

“I don’t know. Knowing you two I’ll get there and it will be a steady stream of Ghost and Dirty Dancing.”

Dani slapped him on the arm playfully. “I wouldn't do that to one of my best friends.”

“Don’t believe her, Jen. I saw Melanie giving her a Ghost DVD earlier today,” Kane volunteered.

“Ha!” Jensen tilted his head at Danneel. “You are so busted.”

He could totally imagine her pouty face. He was so glad Dani had found another job for him at Elta’s after the accident. A blind waiter just wasn’t an option, but dishes, if he was careful and everyone set the knives and forks aside, those he could do. He was also glad he was surrounded with people he knew before, knew what they looked like when they laughed or when they smiled. He wished he knew what Jared looked like. He’d tried to transfer the face he’d mapped with his hands into an image but he’d failed miserably. All he knew was, Dani thought he was hot.

Jensen caught Danneel speaking his name and he forced himself to tune back in. “Jensen, you know it’s for your own good. You’ve been a real grumpy pants since Matt pulled his crap.”

“That’s Mr. Grumpy pants if you don't mind, and seriously, I’m good.” He shot back.

Danneel pulled him into a fierce hug. “You sure?” She growled, “Because you know we love you.” She tried to give him a noogie, but Jensen slipped out of her hold.

“I’m fine, honest. I’ll be the first to call an intervention. I just have some errands to do.”

“Okay, but you’re coming to my place Christmas Eve. We've got Secret Santa and I know you have my name. Besides, no one knows how to make Miracle Eggnog like you.”

“Well actually, I do,” Kane muttered, and Jensen heard the slight whoof of air as Dani elbowed him.

“I mean, I don't recall at all,” Kane corrected himself quickly.

“Oh my God, you guys are all crazy. Night everybody!” Jensen waved and struck out down the alley, cane tapping. A chorus of "Night, Jensen. Later, Jen", followed him, and Jensen considered himself one lucky guy to have such good friends. He wondered how Jared would fit in with them. Probably fine, he guessed. Jared was a great listener, and never forced his ideas on the other person. So far, considering all the misunderstanding they’d had, he was also amazingly even-tempered, no blowing hot and cold like Matt used to do.

Halfway home, the honk of a horn warned him a vehicle was approaching from behind him in the alley. Preoccupied with thoughts of Jared, he had barely moved out of the way when it zoomed past and came to a skidding halt just feet ahead of him. He heard a vehicle door open, then the sound of running feet, and then a body smashed into him, sending his cane flying, as he was tackled against the brick wall. His head bounced off the bricks and, groaning, he tried to strike out at his assailant, but he was pinned against the wall and a hand covered his face. The last thing he remembered was a sweet, chemical smell filling his mouth and nose, the skin around his mouth tingled and burned, and then he passed out.

: : :

He came to not so much at once, but in flickering moments of conscious. The first time lying on a metal floor of a vehicle, and his head bouncing against the ribbed steel floor each time they hit a rough patch in the road. His arms and legs didn’t seem to work. One particularly strong bounce and equally brutal rebounding thump to his head later and that was all… The roar of a motorboat and the smell of salt water, the surge of the boat against the tides rocking him back to sleep…Being tossed over a man’s shoulder…the sharp impact of his shoulder on Jensen’s gut. Spewing what little was in his stomach in wrenching spasms as he hung there upside down, gagging…the warmth of the sun on his face and a soft bed, someone holding him in their arms with their hands over Jensen’s eyes, soothing warmth radiating through him… dreaming of the prettiest light flickers of orange and yellow, and brilliant pink… lying on a soft surface, a bed with his arms spread out, He rolled over, stretching, but was brought to an abrupt halt when he discovered his wrists were held together somehow in front of him…

He bent one hand toward the other. There just was enough slack so that his fingers could touch his other wrist. Soft material was wrapped around each wrist and then hard plastic like a zip tie was looped over that. There was hardly any room between the two wrist cuffs. What the hell? He combed his memory, he remembered seeing videos online about how to break out of zip ties, but he'd never actually paid attention. Way to go Ackles! He explored his situation, he was in bed, but not his own. Unfamiliar, silky smooth sheets beneath him and a wooden headboard with some kind of woven metal woven leaf detail running along the top. He touched his face, his chest, he seemed to be unharmed, still fully dressed, only his sunglasses and shoes were gone.

Panic growing, he sat up and the world twisted sickeningly. He didn’t puke, though it was a near thing for a minute. He had a vague recollection of retching, earlier, maybe there was nothing left in his stomach now to heave up. It came back to him in pieces, the alley, the noise of the vehicle, something over his face. Fortunately, the burning around his mouth had subsided but the chemical taste still lingered, sweet and cloying. Being bounced around in the back of the van would account for his splitting headache. He touched the back of his head carefully and there was a bump and a tender spot, but he could feel no gash in his scalp, no actual blood, which was good.

When he was able to stand, he noticed his shoes and socks were missing. His toes chilly on the cold tile. He felt his way around a nightstand, working his way toward the source of the heat. Sliding doors, the glass warm, presumably from at least an hour or two of sunlight. He fumbled for the door handle and jerked back in surprise when it actually opened. A cold wind blew into the room as he rolled the sliding door open completely and stuck his head out.

“Help,” He croaked, voice dry and wrecked. “Help me!” he cried again, uncaring whether his captors heard him or not. It might be his only chance to escape.

“It will do you no good.” An artificially deep and oddly synthetic voice spoke from the other side of the room. Feeling around for a weapon, anything, Jensen grabbed up the flimsy lamp from the bedside table and held it like a bat, his heartbeat pounding like a drum inside his chest.

“I am not going to hurt you.” The artificiality of the voice was disconcerting. His captor was obviously using some kind of voice modulator, the kind you’d see in a movie when people wanted to keep their identity secret. It made it sound like he was dealing with The Batman – or with his luck, more likely his evil arch nemesis Bane, who used a creepy voice changer. Jensen decided for the moment to call kidnapper one Bane. He wondered how many of them there were.

“To hell with this shit, uncuff me!” He roared, shaking the lampshade over his head like a madman.

“I can’t do that yet, you need to calm down before you hurt yourself.”

“Calm down? You kidnapped me. Why should I calm down?” Jensen stood there with his hand curled around the light, ready to swing as he listened for movement.

“This situation is only a temporary. You will not be harmed.”

“That’s really big of you. Why the hell did you take me in the first place?” Jensen’s headache kicked up a notch.

“We’re holding you for ransom. Your boyfriend has been contacted. Once he pays and my partners have the money, you will be let go.”

“Ransom!” Jensen’s voice had risen to the point of hysteria. “I hate to break it to you buddy, but Matt broke up with me the other day. I don’t think he’ll be paying you squat.”

“We have already been in contact with him, and he was quite concerned. Cohen Enterprises is gathering the money as we speak. All you need to do is stay calm, and this will all be over shortly.” The voice said placidly.

Completely unsettled, Jensen took care to set the lamp back on the night stand. He was shaking, from two parts adrenaline and one part fear. Could it be possible? Would Matt actually pay a ransom for him? He’d always known Matt was filthy rich, it was part of what had got in the way of their relationship. Matt wanted to cosset Jensen, keep him under wraps in his high rise, while Jensen wanted to make it on his own, before and after the accident. But to be a kidnapping target?

His captor walked by him, and he heard the click of the double doors as the man locked them. What kind of kidnapper forgot to lock his prisoner in?

“Is there anything you require? Lunch will be served shortly.”

Lunch? Lunch? Jeeves the insane kidnapping butler wanted to know if he needed anything? The insanity of the situation made Jensen want to scream. Sobering, he sank down on the edge of the bed and his hands cupped his knees in an effort to hide the trembling. Never show fear, never show them you’re afraid. That’s how all the cop procedurals worked. Putting on a brave face he grabbed at the first thing that came to his mind. “Some water would be good?”

Near silent footsteps departed and some minutes later a voice said, “Here you go.”

Jensen startled when the voice spoke so close to him. A cold water bottle was pressed into his hands. He licked his lips and held the bottle between his knees to crack open the sealed bottle. He chugged its contents like a dying man. When he had finished, he set the bottle on the nightstand. The voice asked, “Would you like more?”

Jensen nodded. “That would be great. How long was I out for?”

“Half a day.” Again, ninja quiet, the man returned and pressed a new cold bottle into Jensen’s hands. This time Jensen only set it on the table.

“I’ll just save it for when I’m thirsty.”

“Very well. I will be back shortly with your meal.”

Ears perked, he listened to the whisper quiet thump of the door closing and an accompanying click of a lock. Though he couldn’t hear footsteps through the door, he waited a few minutes for his captor to walk away, and then went back to surveying his room. The only other possible weapon he found was a chair, otherwise, the only sharp edge was on the rod iron leaf detail at the top of the bedframe. After ten minutes of sawing at the plastic strap between his wrists, it finally gave.

Great! Jensen rubbed at his wrists. The soft cloth still held wrapped around them by the remaining ties had saved him from chafing. Was every kidnapper so considerate? Okay, now what? He wondered if his friends had realized he was missing, yet. And what Matt made of the whole situation. Who the hell kidnapped a blind man, anyway? A small part of him kept hoping it was all some kind of mistake, and Matt was going to knock on the door and say that he had pranked Jensen. But this wasn’t Matt’s kind of deal. All of a sudden, he wished Jared was here. But since when had he become such a precious, pretty princess, to need rescuing? He grabbed the bedside lamp, maybe he could jump his captor when he returned.

“Your lunch is here.” Jensen jerked as the voice caught him by surprise again. He kept hold of the lamp as his kidnapper swept into the room “I see you’ve freed yourself. I would have let you go once you’d calmed down.”

Sure buddy, Jensen sneered.

“I’ll put the tray on your bed. It’s tomato sandwiches at six o’clock, a muffin at 11:00 and orange juice at two. You might need to set the lamp down to eat.”

Oh, a funny guy, Jensen snorted as he debated his next move. He could still try to rush his captor, throw the tray at him, and try to whack him with the table lamp. But he didn’t even know what he was up against yet, there could be four more guys in the hallway. As he debated his options, he could smell the sweet scent of fresh cut tomatoes. The idea of eating made him slightly nauseous. He thought about refusing the food, but then considered what good that would do him. If they were going to hurt him, or poison him, they could, whether he ate or not. His stomach rumbled again in agreement, and Jensen decided to put his attack plan on hold until he knew more. He set the lamp down, turned toward the tray, and reached where he'd been told for a sandwich. It was tidily made, cut from corner to corner so the halves were easy to handle. And the way his captor had pointed out the position of the food, he obviously had some familiarity with blindness.

“So what should I call you?” Jensen asked as he bit into the sandwich. It tasted like ashes in his mouth.

“You won’t be here long enough to need a name.”

I’ve already got one for you buddy, Jensen jeered silently. While Jensen mechanically chewed and swallowed, Bane stepped back and sat down in the room’s one chair. Jensen felt eyes on him while he finished as much on his tray as he could force down, including the orange juice, which soothed his parched throat.

Finished, Jensen sat back, leaning against the headboard. His whole body was sore from being carted and thrown around all day and his head was still pounding to beat the band, but he didn’t want to tell Bane that. “So, what now?” Jensen asked and bit back a yawn. Hell, he’d only just woke up, how could he still be tired?

Bane stepped close to the bed and removed the tray. “It’s several hours before dinner. Would you like to go to the bathroom before I leave?”

Jensen nodded, now that he was fully awake, the need to go had become pressing. “Yes, please.”

“The bathroom is across from the foot of your bed. There are no windows or doors, so just take care of your business. You have five minutes or I’ll have to come in after you.”

His captor tapped on Jensen’s shoulder. “Please stand.”

Jensen could feel the heat radiating off of him as he stood in front of him, blocking any run for freedom Jensen might try. Bane took his elbow and steered him toward the bathroom door and, after ushering him in, closed it behind him. Jensen whirled around and touched the door, to be sure Bane was on the other side, then found his way to the bathroom. Business taken care of, he washed his face and hands, grimacing when the cloth still wrapped and ziptied around his wrists got soaked. He used a corner of the towel to squeeze them as dry as he could. Then he ran his hands along the counter in search of anything that he could use as a weapon.

From what he could tell about the materials, thick, luxurious fluffy towels, a stone countertop, thick, wooden frame around the mirror, seamless glass shower, and modern freestanding tub, he was in a fairly opulent room. He must have a better class of kidnappers, Jensen smirked, then sobered. There was something seriously hinky about his kidnappers. Or, well, Bane, the only one he had met so far. Who kidnapped someone and then put them up in a luxury suite? Why hadn’t he been locked up in some dingy room in a flop house? Or even locked in the basement of his own squalid apartment building?

“Just great,” he grumbled, touching one of the towels, “I’ll tickle him to death him with one of these.” A knock on the door signaled Bane’s growing impatience, and Jensen dutifully opened the door.

Bane led him back to the bed and positioned him in the middle of the bed. He took one of Jensen's wrists, still with the now damp cloth and zip tie on it, and slipped another tie through the loop around his wrist and wrapped that tie round a post at the base of the headboard. He then repeated the process with Jensen’s other wrist to the other corner. As Bane stepped back, Jensen could feel eyes on him as he lay with his arms stretched out and vulnerable, like Bane was assessing him. “I’ve padded your cuffs and there are no sharp edges at the base of the headboard to help saw your way through this time. It’s not the most comfortable position in the world, but that’s on you. If I were you I’d take a nap before dinner. If you behave yourself, we could take a walk later.”

“Right? Like you’ll take your kidnap victim outside? Just like that?”

“We’re in a secluded area, there is nowhere for you to go, so there is no reason not to let you out if you prove you can be good.”

Jensen resented the superior tone but decided to stay quiet. Without further comment, Bane left with a click of the lock on the door. Still on edge, Jensen lay there contemplating what his next step might be. He went over everything his captor had said so far for any clues to help him escape. He yawned, remembering Bane’s suggestion to take a nap. Who told an adult to take a nap? Sure he was sore and more than a little disoriented from everything. But if they wanted him to sleep that should be the last thing he should do. Shouldn’t it?

Firming his jaw, he resolved there was no way in hell, he was going to sleep before dinner. He wasn’t a child. He rolled his head against the pillow to make himself more comfortable. Minutes later he jerked up his head, heart pounding, having fallen asleep. “What the heck?” He mumbled, fighting to keep his eyes open. He shook his head and dug his fingernails into his palms only to find himself waking again with a start. Yawning, he shook his head and muttered, “Alright, I give. Bane one, Jensen zero.” He snuggled his head down into the pillow to get comfortable. His eyelids fluttered down and he whispered Jared’s name and was out like a light.

He dreamed he was being held, cradled by someone as they ran their hands over his face and hair, fingertips pressed gently over his eyes, and Jensen could see brilliant ribbons of light. He felt cared for and loved and in his dream, he called out Jared’s name.

When Jensen woke, the first thing he noticed was that he still had a pounding headache. The second, that his cuffs had been removed and he was lying on his side on the bed. He didn’t feel nauseated anymore, or sore. It freaked him out a that he had slept soundly enough for his captors to get close enough to cut loose his bonds without him even waking.

He rubbed his knuckles over his eyes and tried to convince himself he was awake. Sitting up, he became aware of other pressing needs and rose in search of the ensuite again.

Business taken care of, he washed up, freshening his face and hands. Exploring the rest of his little prison he located the chair where Bane had sat, another sidetable on the far side of his bed, and a door that turned out to open to a large walk in closet. But nothing that could be used as a weapon. He could maybe use the chair to smash open the glass sliders or the main bedroom door, but without shoes or socks, it could be tough going in the cold. He wanted to at least wait and see what opportunities ‘dinner’ brought. He rubbed his head, he was getting seriously pissed at being so helpless. He wanted to punch or smash something, instead, he was sitting here in fear in this silk and satin prison, and all this thinking about his kidnappers was only making his headache grow.

There was a soft click as the bedroom door opened.

“Didn’t your mama teach you how to knock?” Jensen growled.

“It’s time for our walk,” the anonymized voice of Bane stated quietly.

Unsure what would happen next, Jensen’s hands curled into fists and he licked his suddenly dry lips. “Maybe some fresh air would be good. I’ve got a splitting headache.”

“We’ll stop for some aspirin on our way out.” Bane replied, and waited at the doorway for Jensen to join him.

Jensen walked toward the bedroom door, uncertain how this was going to work.

“You can put your hand on my arm and follow me.” Bane offered.

Jensen had a sudden flash of déjà vu; how quickly times change. One minute Jared was gently guiding him up the steps of his apartment building, and now he’s at the mercy of some possible killer/kidnapper. Still, he was grateful he wasn’t going to have to find his way, stumbling without his cane. Still a bit loath to depend on his captor, he reluctantly reached toward Bane. His captor grasped his hand and set it on his arm. Jensen curled his fingers around the man’s bicep.

“This way.”

Jensen tried to keep track of the number of footsteps and turns, he wasn’t sure when the information would come in handy, but he had to hope it would. His captor said nothing as they walked, and Jensen tried to catalog his observations of his jailer: taller than Jensen, strong. From his cat like footfalls Jensen knew he was fit, running a bit on the lean side, long legged, if his stride was anything to go by. The well muscled arm Jensen was holding was swimmer lean, but rock steady. The material of his shirt was crisp and of definite quality. When their shoulders brushed as they walked, Bane's seemed broad. And there was a faint scent of sandalwood soap and an earthier scent that was just Bane, masculine but not overpowering. Jensen stopped in sudden confusion, and Bane had to urge him forward.

They slowed each time they came to a corner and changed directions, which told Jensen that along with the way he described Jensen’s meal, the man had at least some familiarity with the blind. Jensen wasn't sure how that helped him, though.

They stopped abruptly and his captor said, “Wait here.” Jensen was left standing as the man walked a few steps away. He heard several cupboard doors open and close, one after another. Then the distinctive sound of a fridge door opening and then closing, and his kidnapper returned and pressed a plastic water bottle into one hand. “Here’s your pills,” the mechanical voice stated as Bane pressed two caplets into his hand. Jensen took the two pills without comment and drank from the water bottle.

“You’ll need your coat. Here.”

His captor thrust Jensen’s own heavy leather coat into his hands. Jensen scrambled to find a pocket to stash his water bottle in and put it on.

Ten more steps and they were outside. Jensen was immediately hit with a brisk, chill wind and the scent of the sea. So, they were near the water? He tensed up, being blind and strange places didn’t mix well in his experience. Jensen cursed his lack of sight, there was no way this Bane could have kept him so easily otherwise. Jensen ground his teeth and searched for calm as his captor’s arm guided him across patio pavers. He could hear waves breaking, and the footing soon turned to sand, and Jensen realized Bane was walking him along a beach.

Over the sound of the water, Jensen listened intently for cars, or other people, even a nearby boat, but there was nothing but the crashing waves. Where the hell was he? He knew if he was going to make a run for it, it would have to be on their walk. He waited for any sound, any clue of something familiar to run toward, so he could attempt his escape.

They had only walked for ten or fifteen minutes when Jensen started to lag as exhaustion set in. An ugly suspicion brewed in his head.

“We’re returning to the house, now,” Bane stated, without comment on Jensen’s tired state. Jensen vowed to not drink water from one of his proffered bottles again.

Bane laid a hand over Jensen's where it curled around Bane's arm and started walking faster, pulling him along, and Jensen snapped. He had been mulling over his fate since Bane escorted him down the hall.

“It’s organ donation, isn’t it? That’s what you’re doing? There’s no ransom, you want my organs for money!” He knew there was probably no chance of escape but there was satisfaction in turning and shoving Bane backwards. It was too much to hope the man would fall, and he didn’t. But Jensen was able to confirm the breadth of Bane’s shoulder’s and size. He hunched into a boxers crouch and listened for Bane’s movements.

“I told you why we have you. Ransom. Plain and simple. Don’t make this hard on yourself.” Bane's tone was stern, as he grabbed Jensen’s arm again. Jensen was only able to get in one good punch before Bane had his arm twisted behind his back and was frog marching him back to the house.

Tired even before that small act of defiance, the adrenaline crash after had Jensen stumbling from exhaustion by the time they reached the house. Bane had to half carry him those last few steps to the bed. He flopped face down onto its soft, welcoming surface, and was so weary he fell asleep as the man was removing his leather coat.

: : :

Jensen's head was muzzy when he woke, consciousness slow to chase away the pretty streamers of light from his dream. He struggled to hang onto as many details as he could before they slipped away. The lone figure in his dream was vague and shadowy, but it reminded him of Jared, somehow. The Jared of his dreams was a sharp contrast to his real-life captor. Jensen's headache was back with a vengeance. It took a few seconds to get his bearings and realize he’d come to just as he'd collapsed. He hadn't moved at all. The only change was that Bane, or someone, had covered him with a soft throw blanket.

He pushed himself to his feet and made his way to the bathroom. Bane must be drugging him, that was all there was to it. He was having such crazy dreams about lights, ribbons of light flowing into him. He could remember being able to see deep inside his own body, which was kind of crazy, red blood vessels and white blood cells, and all kinds of things. He had seemed to understand it at the time, but the dream and the pleasant mood it left behind was quickly fading. His eyes itched, probably from too much sleep, he reasoned as he rubbed at them. There was no way he needed that much sleep.

Reminded, he went and got the water bottle from his bedside table. Fool me once, shame on me, Jensen thought as he poured the out the water, and after rinsing the bottle several times refilled it with fresh tap water.

Returning to the bedroom, he tried the door to the hallway. Astonishingly, considering the most recent events that he remembered, it was unlocked. His hand fumbled on something as he tried to open the door. A ribbon had been tied loosely around the handle with a bow; when Jensen untied it and opened the door, he found it was tacked to the wall outside his room, and continued on down the hall.

In complete confusion, Jensen realized Bane had left a ribbon trail for him to follow. What kind kidnapper left their captive a ribbon trail?

Still counting his steps to be sure he remembered the way on his own, his fingertips touched the ribbon lightly as he followed it. He called out as he approached the kitchen. “Hello?” He could smell something cooking, and as he rounded the last turn, Bane’s mechanical voice greeted him.

“Ah, good morning. I was just going to wake you. Did you sleep?…”

“Morning….How long did I sleep?” Jensen interrupted Bane’s question and walked to where he thought he was standing.

“About fourteen hours.”

“So you are drugging me. I want answers, and I want them now. This is no kind of kidnapping I’ve ever heard of!” Jensen tilted his head and listened for movement, for Bane to try something. “Is this standard operating procedure for organ donation? Keep them doped until the body parts are needed?” Without even thinking of the repercussions Jensen started to swing, catching Bane on the arm and chest. He kept punching, hits landing wildly, one hitting the edge of a hard mask Bane had over his face.

Imprecise as Jensen’s approach was, he grinned like a lunatic when he heard Bane grunt after one particularly successful blow. It was the beginning of the end, though, as Bane decided enough was enough. He grabbed both of Jensen’s wrists and slammed him up against the wall. Bane transferred his hold so that he held both of Jensen’s hands in his one larger one, and braced his forearm against Jensen’s throat, choking off his air. Gasping for breath, Jensen continued to wriggle and kick.

“Stop fighting me.” The voice modulator translated Bane’s tone into something dark and threatening. “I’ve told you repeatedly, you’re not in danger. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if I have to. Now stop.”

“Never,” Jensen ground out, “I want out of here!” And stomped down on Bane's foot.

Bane let out a soft grunt, then his modulated voice rumbled, “That’s it.”

Quick as a wink, Bane ya¬nked Jensen sideways and pulled him to the floor, rolling him onto his belly. A ziptie snapped around his wrists, tight together this time, and then his legs were grabbed and another zip tie wrapped around them. Hogtied, Jensen was left helpless on the floor. Bane simply walked away, back to the kitchen. “I warned you.”

“Let me go, let me go, let me go.” Jensen chanted until his voice grew raspy.

Unconcerned, Bane continued to work at the stove. The smell of frying eggs and bacon had Jensen’s stomach growling again. There was the clink of cutlery and plates and a chair leg scraped on the floor. Weary of screaming, Jensen simply lay there and listened as Bane ate his supper. There was a clink of a glass, plate, and cutlery being gathered up, Bane returning to the sink to wash his dishes.

Soft footfalls approached Jensen and Bane hunkered down beside him. Jensen could feel the heat off his body. “Are you ready to be good?” the menacing voice asked.

“What does good entail?” Jensen replied, suspicious.

“Good means, will you sit at the table and let me feed you.”

“Let me loose and I’ll feed myself.”

“Uh uh, you lost that right when you fought me. Either I feed you or you go to bed hungry.” Jensen felt an arm under him, as Bane helped him to sit, legs out straight in front of him, still zip tied together.

“Why are you drugging me?” Jensen persisted.

“There are no drugs. You need to believe me. You are tired from the stress.”

“Bull. I’ve been under a lot of stress before and never slept this much. Feed that line to some other kidnap victim. What are you getting out of this anyway?”

“The money of course.” A brief tug of something on the tie at his feet and it was cut and Jensen could move his legs. Without preamble, Bane started to pull him upright. “I’m taking you back to your room.”

“Wait, wait, wait. Stop, please. I’m hungry.” His half a tomato sandwich was a distant memory now.

Bane continued to pull him to his feet. He marched him forward and shoved him down into a chair.

“You cause me any grief, I take you back to your room. Three days without food won’t kill you,” Bane threatened, pushing Jensen's chair in tight to a table.

“Can I at least feed myself?”

“No.”

Annoyed, Jensen slumped in his chair like a sullen teenager. “Fine, go for it.”

The first forkful of fried egg was like heaven on his tongue, perfectly cooked and the yolk soft and drippy. It was followed by a bit of toast, and then bacon. Jensen licked his lips appreciatively, literally wolfing down every mouthful. He was starving. When the forkfuls of food stopped, Jensen turned toward his captor. “Got any more?”

A dark rumbling chuckle was emitted from Bane’s voice modulator and the man rose silently and went back to the other side of the room. He heard the crack of two more eggs and the sizzle of the pan and popping toast. When he returned, Jensen heard something slide off a pan onto his plate.

Bane set the pan down on the table and started to feed him right away.

“Is the food drugged?” Jensen asked between mouthfuls

“No.” Bane answered.

“What, then?” Jensen wondered. “Are all kidnappees this tired and hungry?”

“Something like that. Water?”

Jensen tilted his head, there was no way he was touching the water.

“No, I’m alright.”

“It’s not drugged.”

“Yeah, so you say.”

After his second helping of eggs, Jensen finally started feeling full, and sleepy. His head sank and then jerked up as he started to nod off at the dinner table. Rage surged through him and he jumped up, knocking over his chair and nearly falling himself in the process, completely outraged, “You tricked me!” he snarled and he charged at Bane.

Bane simply grabbed his arm and manhandled him out of the dining room. Jensen continued to struggle, but eventually, Bane simply grabbed him from behind by both arms and steered him back to his room. Again, by the time they were close to the room Jensen was so sleepy he could hardly lift his feet.

Bane shoved him onto the bed. Jensen lay there on his side glaring up at where he hoped Bane was standing. “Liarrr…” He slurred as his eyelids fluttered closed.

“Mmmmm” Bane's rumbled hum sent him off to sleep.

: : :

When he next woke he was under the covers and still clothed. Sitting up with a jolt, he realized he had had another of those dreams. His feeling of wellness in the sleeping world was such a sharp contrast to his waking world. Why would he be dreaming so insistently of colored lights? He wondered if a few years from now he would begin to forget colors, not remember what blue looked like, or green. His heart beat double-time, and he had a headache again. Jensen’s fingers swept the nightstand for his bottle of water from last night, in the process he knocked over a bottle of pills. Swallowing mouthfuls of the tepid liquid down he picked up the pill bottle. He could definitely use an aspirin right now, he cracked open the child proof lock and sniffed. It certainly smelled like aspirin to his keen senses but he had no way of know if it had been doctored with. There was no way he was taking anything else from Bane. Again, his eyes itched like crazy. What was up with that, anyway? He tested the lock on the patio doors; still locked, and the glass was warm. He could feel the sunshine on his face, so, it was still day two, he presumed.

In the bathroom, he found a new toothbrush, still in the wrapper, propped up in a tumbler, and a stack of clean clothes, including underwear, all waiting for him on the counter. Huh? So maybe a shower. In finding and setting out one of the fluffy three inch thick towels he was reminded that this was perhaps the strangest kidnapping he’d ever heard of, not that he’d really kept track of any he hadn't been personally involved in. Being the starring victim in this one was more than enough.

His toes scrunched in the softly luxurious bathmat as he leaned into the shower to start the water. It turned out not to be that easy, though, there was not just one, but rather three separate controls, each operating different aspects of Bane’s sybaritic shower. The huge stall was equipped with both rain head shower handle as well as side jets, all separately controlled, with a seeming endless supply of hot water. Giving up on trying to control them from outside the enclosure, Jensen stripped and slipped in past the glass partition.

The shower floor felt good under his feet, some kind of softly rounded river stone or pebbles. He located a loofah and a variety of bottles in a niche inset in the wall. He sniffed some of the contents and used one with a honey scent on both his hair and body. He fiddled with the controls for a while before deciding to simply keep all of them on. The sensation on his skin was marvelous as the water pummeled his body with just the right amount of force. Laughing he turned around and around, letting the side jets spray over him like some kind of human car wash.

It took an effort of will to leave the shower, but his fingers had gone pruny, and he was growing hungry. It was such a good feeling to be clean. He snatched up one of the soft fluffy towels and vowed if he ever got out of this alive that he was treating himself to the purchase of one of these. Shaking the water out of his hair, he scrubbed his hands through it. He kept it short now since he had no way to style it or to gauge how it looked. He rubbed his hand along his jaw where whiskers had started to grow out. With no means of shaving, he simply shrugged and, failing to find toothpaste, used the new toothbrush without it. In spite of his perilous circumstances he felt better, refreshed, his headache having receded for the time being at least.

He fingered the stack of clothing. There was fresh underwear in a size at least close to what he wore, socks, and what seemed to be surgical scrubs, one-size-fits-all. Conflicting emotions surged through him, and Jensen held the scrubs to his nose.They smell clean and they're soft from frequent washing, and he sighed as he pulled them on muttering, “Why, why, why…” At the bottom of the pile was a clean hoodie, and he decided to bring it along with him. He stood for a moment wondering if they'd put him in mismatched colors like a clown, but honestly, he didn't care. He was warm and surprisingly comfy.

Clean and dressed he went out to the bedroom, the air chilly compared to the steamy haven of the bathroom, so he pulled on the hoodie. It's a bit large, but it's warm and comfortable. He decided to try his luck at the bedroom door. He wasn’t sure if last night's behavior had ‘grounded’ him to this room, but surprisingly, the door was open. So he followed the ribbon trail to the kitchen again.

As he entered the kitchen and dining room area, he heard a book snap shut and someone rising from a chair. “Hungry?” Bane asked, and Jensen nodded. He was starting to wonder if there even was a second kidnapper.

“How’s the ransom going?” He rubbed his head, tired of combatting a constant headache and a little exasperated by his helplessness.

“Right on schedule,” Bane replied softly as he pulled items from the fridge.

“Just peachy.” Jensen felt his way around, discovering a large island in the center of the kitchen with bar stools. He hitched himself up on one and hugged himself. “Thanks for the clean clothes,” He rubbed his hands over his arms in the long sleeves of his slightly too large hoodie. The sleeves reminded him of Jared’s long arms around him, and he tugged the cuffs down over his hands. And wondered how he could be so wrong about a person.

“No problem. How about we go for another walk after you’ve eaten?”

Nodding absently, Jensen rubbed his hoodie covered his fingers on the table top.

“You know, if you’re going to kill me, why not just do it now? Get it over with? Why go to all this trouble?”

“We are not in the business of killing off our paychecks. You should be back in your home in another day or two, more or less.”

A plate was pushed in front of him across the counter. “Fish at six o’clock, cauliflower at eleven, and asparagus with a cream sauce at one, along with a glass of water. Spoon on your right.”

“Is someone in your family blind? Because you seem really good at this, beating up on blind people that is.” Feeling dangerously contrary Jensen’s mouth continued to run. “And speaking of, did you always want to be a kidnapper?” Jensen asked between mouthfuls of food. “Because you could have been a chef? It might have been better for both of us.”

Bane said nothing.

: : :

Things continued in the same odd pattern for the next two days: during his waking hours, Bane as his ever present keeper, and Jensen sleeping for hours on end, his sleep haunted by colored ribbons of light and vivid dreams of shadowy Jared working determinedly on microscopic cells. When he wasn’t asleep or eating or walking Bane escorted him back to his room to ‘rest’. Jensen wasn’t sure about other kidnappings, but no TV show had ever warned him about the constant tension and absolute boredom where he was too stressed to work on a song, too tired to think anyway.

Their walk along the beach the next day was uneventful, with Jensen finding no opportunity to make a run for it, and no idea which direction to run, even if the chance had come. And again, he was stumbling with exhaustion by the time they returned. He woke later that evening to find Bane cooking steaks in the kitchen and cutting it into small strips so Jensen could eat it with a spoon.

: : :

Jensen woke, sometime in the morning, with his headache pounding a relentless tattoo in his brain. He was just getting used to his new crazy color filled dreams, and last night had been no exception; the dream had returned. It took a moment as he woke to realize that the colors hadn’t faded to their usual black.

He blinked furiously, not quite able to process what he was seeing, but there was light! Foggy and indistinct, but he could make out vague shapes. Jensen’s heart clenched, was it even possible? His eyes were itching again like mad. Could the strange itching be his body healing itself after all this time? He rushed to the bathroom mirror, but his outline was only a vague blotch. Still, even this much was so much more than the darkness that had been his constant companion for more than a year now. He needed to temper his hope with reality, though. His doctors had warned him he might have bouts of returning vision, but not to get his hopes up, that what little sight he might regain would at best be fuzzy and indistinct, and short lived, as the last few neurons in his optic nerve sputtered out.

Still, it was hard not to tremble with excitement as he left his room. Although he seemed to be seeing mostly in shades of black and white, subtle muted colors were everywhere. Then his foggy gaze fell upon the ribbon. Maybe because it was such a bright yellow, it managed to stand out in the gray blur which made up the rest of his world. Hope soared. Even if his sight wasn’t somehow miraculously returning, now at least he had a chance at freedom. He followed the ribbon to the kitchen with some small amount of trepidation.

When he arrived he froze for a moment as Bane turned toward him. He had hoped he would be able to make out a face, but all he saw was a darker shape compared to the light around him. Bane stared at him quietly, not speaking for a few moments before asking him if he was okay with bacon and eggs this morning.

As Jensen ate, he kept looking around, straining to make out the differences in shapes, and light and dark. Meal completed, Jensen shrugged into his coat, eager to ‘see’ the outdoors, but everything turned to a bright blur out in the sun, and Jensen had to struggle not to squint the entire time. It was only as Jensen began to tire that Bane volunteered. “Oh, good news, your ransom was paid in full. We’ll be returning you safe and sound tomorrow.”

Jensen swallowed, he was going home? Or was this all another lie? “Home…” Jensen repeated faintly, hope and dreams he hadn’t allowed himself to think about bubbling in his head.

His chance, when it came, happened fast. One minute they were walking on the beach, the next Jensen thought he heard a motor boat and tore away from Bane’s light hold on his arm. Adrenaline surging, he started to run, yelling like a madman as he waved his arms, tripping and stumbling as he followed the sound of the boat and the shades of gray he thought represented water. Desperate, he continued along the beach at full tilt. When his feet first came in contact with the waves, he rushed headlong into the icy water, screaming at the top of his lungs.

He kept moving, knowing that Bane would be right on his heels. The hit, when it happened, still took him by surprise, Bane doing a full body tackle against him, driving him under the water. The air knocked out of him, Jensen flailed and struggled, kicking out as water invaded his lungs, his hands and feet knocking against Bane’s face plate and body in his struggle to get away.

It was all for naught. Bane grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and dragged him, kicking and screaming, back to shore. He dropped Jensen on the sand, choking and gasping and spitting up seawater. The boat's motor never even slowed. Once Jensen was breathing again, Bane half carried, half dragged Jensen back to his room, in total silence.

He shoved him, shivering and shaking from cold, into the shower cubicle in his room, fully dressed, turned on the water, and left without a word. Jensen was left there freezing and miserable huddled in the corner of the shower. As shock set in, he rocked back and forth, the warm water pouring down over his face hiding his tears. Eventually, he peeled off the soaked clothing, leaving it piled in a sodden heap in a corner. He pulled himself to his feet, turned off the water, and felt along the counter till he found towels, and another clean pair of scrubs folded on the counter. He pulled them on once he'd toweled most of the water off his body, then shuffled to the bed, curled up in the middle of it, and tried to fall asleep.

He was just starting to drift awake when the door opened almost soundlessly and Bane came into the room. Jensen tried not to stiffen in fear as Bane hovered over him, checking, Jensen assumed, whether or not he was asleep. Seemingly satisfied, Bane slipped onto the bed and gently pulled Jensen’s head into his lap.

“I know you’re awake.” Bane’s mechanical voice rumbled, “Go back to sleep, Jensen, sleep….” He could feel Bane’s hand come to rest lightly on his brow and then the lights carried him away.

: : :

Jensen woke stretched out face down on a lumpy, hard surface. His hands carefully reached out to explore, discovering what felt like a wooden pallet beneath him. It was cold and he could hear the hum of activity all around him, so not on the island anymore. He must be in back in the city or at least some urban center and best of all he was alive. He was in no pain, other than his ongoing headache. Quickly, he ran his hands over his body, checking for signs of some kind of operation, a missing kidney, anything. But amazingly, he seemed to be all in one piece. Light was bleeding through his eyelids and, with a gentle flutter, Jensen opened them the merest slit. Daylight poured in and Jensen groaned, too bright, too much. He squeezed them closed with a cry. “Damn.” Pounding his thigh with his balled fist, to distract from the pain, he sat up. He held his hand over his eyes like a visor's shade and tried again. The world poured in, in vivid color. Gone were the hazy outlines and blurry shadows of just a day ago. Jensen could see the corner of the pallet and the grubby asphalt beneath it in living color – and it must have been midday because everything was vividly, blindingly bright.

“Oh my God, am I dreaming?” Jensen trembled, his fingers shaking with the shock of it all. His ringtone started blaring and Jensen jerked in surprise. He was wearing his own coat, and he scrambled to find his phone in its usual pocket. Finally, he managed to answer the call and Chris’ gruff voice came on the line.

“Jensen! Jensen, where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling you for days. Are you alright?”

Jensen rubbed his head, it hurt like hell and he badly needed more aspirin. “I’m lost, Chris. I think I’m in an alley, somewhere. Can you find me? I need your help.”

“Jesus Christ. Seriously? What the hell happened to you? You’ve been gone without a word for five days.”

“Just come get me, Chris, I’ll explain later.” Jensen didn’t know what to say, he wasn’t sure why he wasn’t explaining everything to Chris, except that he had a suspicion, and he needed to see how it played out, first.

“On my way.” Jensen knew Chris had installed an app on his phone to help find him if he was ever lost. The only thing that had prevented Chris from finding him the other night after Matt broke up with him was that Jensen had forgotten his phone.

: : :

“What day is it?” Jensen asked after Chris had helped him into his beat-up station wagon.

“The twenty-second, it’s almost Christmas man! Are you sure you’re alright? Did you bang your head or something? Should I take you to the hospital and have them check you over?”

“No, please. Can you just take me home? I can’t explain right now, but I will. Trust me.”

“Where are your sunglasses, Jen? I haven’t seen you without them in forever.”

“Oh…” Jensen patted his breast pockets and inside one, neatly folded, were his sunglasses. He put them on, and the extra shading allowed him to open his eyes the merest crack without being in too much pain. He glanced over at Chris and then couldn't take his eyes off him. Even through barely open eyelids, it was unbelievable to actually see his friend again. The same face he knew and loved, hardly changed at all in the last year, the same perceptive blue eyes that sparkled when he sang. The laugh lines at the corners of his eyes maybe had deepened a bit, but overall the same Chris. It was breathtaking to behold.

“I think I should take you to the hospital. You’re acting super weird, and you missed a gig.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s got into me.” Jensen gazed around him hungrily, taking in the world he’d been shut away from for so long.

Chris pulled up in front of Jensen’s building and offered to walk him in.

“No, really, I’m okay. I just got mixed up and a little lost. Honestly, all I want right now is some aspirin and a good twelve hours' sleep. Thanks, Chris,” Jensen slapped Chris’ arm. “Seriously, I owe you.”

“You bet you do,” Chris grumbled as he got out of the car. Jensen started to protest but Chris said firmly, “Shut up with the arguments, I’m walking you to the door.”

It turned out to be a good idea, as everything was so disorientingly unfamiliar now, that Jensen had to keep his eyes closed most of the way. At the door, Jensen grabbed at the door frame and stopped him. “S’okay, I can take it from here.”

“You sure?” Chris side eyed him suspiciously.

Jensen hugged him, overcome and a little humbled at how well his friend had looked after him this last year.

“What was that for? Now you’re seriously freaking me out, Jen.”

“Just for being you. You’ve been the best friend to me, man. Seriously.” Jensen started to make his way up the stairs and paused, turning back toward his friend who was still watching him from the door with a worried expression on his face. “Hey, Chris?”

“Yeah, buddy?” Chris leaned further in the door looking up at him.

“Have you heard anything from Matt?”

Chris snorted in disdain. “Would you believe that douche had the nerve to bring his new boy into Elta’s the other night? Wanted to introduce you to him. The nerve, right? Danni kicked both their asses out.” Chris grinned proudly and even with Jensen’s almost completely closed eyes, it was a beautiful thing to see.

: : :

^^ Comments always appreciated no matter when you read the story


	4. The Magic

: : :

Safe in his apartment, at last, Jensen dropped his coat to the floor. He'd kept the window blinds closed since he couldn't see out anyway, and now in the dim light of the apartment, he fumbled the door lock on, then rushed to the bathroom. Trembling in the dark, he stood in front of the bathroom mirror, shut his eyes, and took off his sunglasses. He swallowed hard and flicked on the lights. The overhead fluorescent flickered to sputtering life, it’s low hum filling the tiny room. Opening his eyelids to mere slits, Jensen looked in the mirror.

A thin slice of moss green in the reflection gazed back at him. Blinking in the bright light, he forced his eyes to open wider. He could see. He stood there in shock, blinking furiously in case this was some cruel joke. The foggy blurriness of the day before hadn’t reverted to black as his doctors had warned it might if his eyesight ever partially returned. What he was seeing was crystal clear. His hand shook as he held it in front of him. He could see every vein, every freckle. He leaned into the mirror for a closer look and there was no trace of any of the scarring the doctors said had taken away his sight.

He swayed slightly on his feet and had to grab hold of the vanity for support. The man who looked back at him was the man with the same wide green eyes as a year ago. Cautiously, he touched his face, ignoring the tears that ran down his cheeks. Looking closer, he noticed the scar beneath his ear on the left side of his neck was gone now, as well. Needing to know everything, he yanked off his t-shirt and ran his fingers over his left collarbone. The same piece of flying metal that had scarred his neck, only missing his jugular by inches, had carved a ridge along his collarbone. That scar was completely gone now, too.

Jensen stared at his reflection. All the marks and cicatrix he had gradually gotten used to after the accident were gone. And he didn’t even know how or when this all happened. He had been there the whole time with Bane and never noticed a thing. Was it his kidnapper who was responsible for this? What other explanation could there be? Had there ever even been a ransom demand? It seemed clear from what Chris had said, that Matt hadn’t even known Jensen was missing. Could his kidnapper's sole reason for taking him have been to cure him? What other conclusion could there be? But – why? And why him? What had he ever done, to warrant being healed?

Overwhelmed, Jensen sagged onto the toilet seat, sitting before he fell down. His heart was beating a million beats a second and he was giddy and nauseated at the same time. He ran his hands through his hair, shaking his head, and he couldn't help laughing. He laughed harder, and the more he laughed the harder he laughed, eventually laughing so hard he fell off the toilet seat and ended up sprawled against his old cast iron tub. He wanted to keep on laughing, he wanted to scream in relief, and shout for joy, all at the same time. He leaned his head back, staring out the little window in the shower to the blue gray sky beyond. That was sky he was seeing! Little wisps of cloud drifting past his window! It was just all too unbelievable like someone had gone back in time and snatched his former life back from the jaws of hell.

And now, what was he going to say to his friends? Should he call the police? And tell them what, that someone kidnapped him and healed him? It would be a shabby reward for the man who had obviously gone to a great deal of trouble to give him his sight – his life – back.

Jensen combed his memory to pinpoint when or how Bane might have cured him, but nothing came to mind or stood out in any way. And other than tying him up and wrestling him down that one night, and the other time, dragging him out of the water, Bane hadn’t really laid a finger on him, at all. Jensen shook his head in bewilderment.

He crying uncle, he gave up. Sitting hunkered on the cold tile floor was getting him nowhere. Pulling himself to his feet, Jensen went in search of somewhere more comfortable to think.

He made a sandwich, then set about brewing some fresh coffee. Even these homely efforts felt surprising and new. As he measured and poured, he had to keep reminding himself that he didn’t need to use his fingers as a guide, that he could see, now. Unlearning some of his acquired habits as a blind man was going to take a little while. He gathered up his lunch and mug and sank gratefully into his battered club chair. The itching in his eyes had gone away, but they were still quite sensitive to the light. He debated putting on his sunglasses, but with his blinds closed and the light soft and diffused, he decided to try and get used to at least this low level of light.

Taking a bite of his sandwich, he gazed around his apartment in wonder. He had never thought he would see any of this again, not in this lifetime at least. He recognized some of the titles of books in the bookcase, across the room, smiled as his gaze moved over things he'd treasured before he lost his sight, while he enjoyed his sandwich. When it was finished, he rose to put the plate in the sink and set his mug on the counter. He pulled his acoustic guitar down from its wall bracket and touched it lovingly, the warm honey glow of the wood, the fancy black and red banding around the sound hole. It had been one of his first big purchases once he started working, and had always been a thing of beauty with a lovely sound. Now Jensen could appreciate not just the weight of it in his hands, and its tone, but its beautiful appearance, all over again. He strummed a few bars but, anxious to explore, he laid it aside to take inventory of his other instruments. His mandolin, a gift from Steve, was as beautiful as ever, as were as his ukulele, and his lute.

The lute had been an expensive indulgence. Matt had bought it for him at a RenFair they’d gone to. It was a true antique. European spruce had been used for the soundboard and, in keeping with the design of 16th-Century lutes, its sound hole was a rosette carved in an astonishingly detailed and attractive geometric pattern, cut into the soundboard itself, and not inlaid of different materials. Jensen’s fingers traced the intricate pattern as his eyes feasted on the detail.

Even the old band posters he had pinned up were a sight for sore eyes, a motley assortment of shows he’d seen or wanted to see. He gazed at them affectionately. At his bookcase he stared fondly at his collection, fingers pulling out the odd book or two. Growing up dirt poor he had always been careful to keep anything he had in perfect shape. As soon as he had any money of his own, he’d started to collect books about art and music. He’d amassed an offbeat collection, many of the books gifts from friends. He clutched a book of poems to his chest, to think the joy of reading and looking at all these was his again. Jensen brushed away a tear before it could fall. He was tired of crying, but he couldn’t seem to stop.

Coffee, what he needed was more coffee. He went to refill his cup and to collect himself, he needed to call Jared.

He sat down at his little kitchenette and tried Jared’s cell, but only got voicemail. Probably busy, Jensen reasoned, he’d call back in a few minutes. While he waited, he picked at the stack of mail that had built up on the table. He usually got Dani or Chris to go through it with him once a week, but he could do it for himself, now.

He picked an official looking letter at random. It was from the Guide Dogs of America. He had been on their waiting list for a service dog for months now, but in the meantime had been trained in the use of his cane. The cane had been a real lifesaver, but he had to admit he had been looking forward to the companionship a dog might offer. He blinked and shook his head. If he wanted a dog now it would be just for fun, not because he needed one. His whole world had been set on its end.

He called Jared again, but no answer. He didn’t want to leave a voicemail message. What he needed to say he needed to do in person. Jensen swallowed down the last of his coffee and realized that in spite of the caffeine, his eyelids were drooping. Maybe there were residual drugs in his system, or maybe the adrenaline high he’d been running on since waking up was wearing off. Knowing it was better not to fight it, he crawled into his bed and was asleep before his head hit the pillow. It was the first time in days that he didn’t dream of dancing lights.

: : :

Joe Soames stopped outside one of the bays in the ICU and leaned on his mop. It was the nightshift and, other than the nurses' station, everywhere else on the floor the lights were dimmed, most of their young patients fast asleep. That’s what had drawn him here like a moth to a flame, the lovely bright lights spilling out into the hallway.

As expected, he found Dr. Padalecki sitting next to one of their newer patients, a young boy just brought in that day. Next to the hulking silhouette of the young doctor, the tiny lad looked even smaller and frailer as he slept. Cancer, Joe seemed to remember.

Padalecki was holding the boy's little hand, his eyes closed in as if in sleep. A nimbus of curling, undulating light flowed out of the young doctor and wreathed around his patient. Radiant yellow, pink, and orange ribbons of light that coalesced in a glowing, pulsing circle around the boy's small body, and made his blue nightgown with its pattern of little dump trucks and fire trucks glow white.

Joe watched, transfixed as he always was as the healing ribbons of energy were absorbed into the frail little body. It was a sight he never grew tired of seeing. But he was worried, too. Young Dr. Padalecki’s face looked unusually tired this night. And as far as Joe knew, he wasn’t even supposed to be on duty. He was scheduled for leave these two weeks surrounding Christmas. Some young folks just didn’t know enough to not burn the candle at both ends, Joe reasoned. So, instead of slipping away like he normally did, he stayed until the last of the lights dimmed, the ribbons receded, and Padalecki slumped in his chair with a weary sigh.

“Healin’s tough work, Doc.”

Padalecki startled and jerked upright, his head turning instantly to the door. He relaxed as he saw the old janitor standing there. He and Joe had talked many times as Jared did his night rounds with his patients. Rubbing his head, Jared gave him a tired smile, “Oh hey, Joe. Didn’t see you there. How’s it goin’?”

Leaving his mop outside, Joe took a few cautious steps into the room. “You know, an old janitor like me, people don’t notice me much.” Jared started to speak but Joe's hand waved it away. “No, s’okay, I’m not complaining. Just means that over the years I’ve seen a lot. More than maybe a lot of folks. Lot more than maybe I should.”

Jared sat up straighter and perked up a bit. His soft voice was full of interest when he replied, “What kind of things have you seen, Joe?”

Without answering, Joe wandered over to the window and peered out at the night sky. “You know, when I was little, I told my mama I could see pretty lights around people.”

He smiled in memory and glanced over his shoulder. Doc Jared had grown tense and leaned forward on the arm of his chair, his gaze hooded in the moonlit room, the fingertips of one hand pressed to his lips, all his attention focused on Joe.

“She told me, 'That’s just fine dear. You are special as God made you.' And that I had the gift, just like her, that what we was seein’ was people’s inner magic, what they was made of. Most people can’t see it at all, you know. In fact, I never met no one who could see what I see, not since mama passed. But I see it, and I know everyone’s got their colors. Some people is surrounded by dark colors, twisty and cold, while others is green as grass blowin’ in the wind. But some few, well they is special, their light shines brighter and they can reach out an’ touch the world and heal it, make it better than it was.”

“Really? That’s very interesting. I think they call that an aura. When do you see them, Joe?” Jared replied, his tone light and casual.

“Well most recently, I been seeing a young doctor takin’ on all the woes of his patients. Givin’ so much of his light that there ain’t much left for him to go on. Now I know some of his battles he might’a lost but a lot of them he’s won. But with all his battles going on recently, I been seeing a dark shade over his heart where all his bright lights don’t quite come back all the way.” Joe rubbed at his neck, his lips thinned into a concerned line. “Now, this ain’t none of my concern, but I think you need to be thinking a little more about yourself, Doc. I think you need to find a way to fill that heart of yours with joyful color before all that light of yours goes dark. 'Cause that wouldn’t do nobody no good at all.”

Joe nodded, more to himself than anyone. As he made his way out, he patted the stunned doctor on the shoulder. “That’s all I wanted to say, Doc. That, and your secret's safe with me.”

: : :

Jared sat in his chair beside young Morgan a long time, thinking about what Joe had said. His phone buzzed again and even before glancing at it, he knew it would be Jensen calling. He let it ring through to his voicemail. He had gone into this so naively, now he didn’t know what to do.

The intensity of that first time he touched Jensen that night in the rain had taken Jared’s breath away. His heart had hurt with a physical ache when Jensen had looked up and Jared caught a glimpse of his ruined eyes. Jared always had the urge to heal what was hurt or broken since he was young. But something about Jensen called to him like nothing ever had before, his fingers itching to reach out and heal. It was only the knowledge that it would take more than one session to heal him that stopped him then.

Jared had been twelve when he first discovered that healing was going to be his life’s work. An only child sent to his grandparents in rural Texas for the summer while his parents hashed out the details of an ugly divorce, it could have been a sad time, but with his grandpa’s encouragement and guidance, it had been fun. It was a city kid's first time to really explore the outdoors, and he’d filled his days exploring, or fishing, or riding. On that memorable day, he and his grandpa’s dog, Bode, had gone out adventuring. Bo was his grandpa’s big black and tan German shepherd, but he had adopted Jared the first day he arrived at the farm, and the two had become inseparable. Of course, a good adventurer always brought supplies. Today that included the knife strapped to Jared’s skinny hips, a canteen full of water over his shoulder, and a knapsack filled with an assortment of vital rations, a compass, bandages, a couple of comic books he’d found under his bed, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, an apple, and some beef jerky, which he shared with Bode. Everything a guy needed to navigate the hot Texas desert in August.

They’d roamed through the brush all morning playing cowboys, dodging his grandpa’s longhorns grazing out on the field, until they’d found a shady spot near a creek bed to have their lunch. It was only on their way home that day that they’d run into trouble. They’d been making their way through a field of tall grass, and Bo was walking ahead of him like usual, the shepherd’s wagging tail flagging his location in the tall grass. There had been an angry barking, then a strangled yip and the hair on the back of Jared’s neck had stood up.

“Bode! Bo, buddy, what’s going on boy? Boy? He could hear Bode’s whine of pain, but couldn't see him yet, in the grass. Then he heard it, the distinctive rattle as a snake beat its tail, and Bode’s answering snarl.

Jared burst onto the scene as the snake coiled back for another strike. “Get back boy, stay back,” Jared cried, then, and unthinking, he hurled his metal canteen at the diamondback, striking it on the head. The snake recoiled, but the blow only served to enrage it. It lunged forward and snapped at Bode’s back leg before retreating into its defensive coil. The shepherd snarled again and snapped at the rattler, though it’s deadly venom had already been injected into the dog's body. Reflexes already slowing, Bode growled fiercely as he grabbed the snake in his jaws and shook it back and forth, hard, before flinging it away into the tall grass. , Jared watched, helpless, as Bode dealt with the snake and then collapsed to the ground. Jared wasn’t sure if the diamondback was alive or dead, but he didn’t care right then. All his attention was focused on Bo.

He fell to his knees by Bode’s body and pulled the limp shepherd into his arms. Bode trembled, his body already shutting down from the deadly bite. Jared ran his fingers over the dog’s leg and found one set of puncture marks under the short fur, venom mixed with blood leaked from the wound, and there was another on Bo’s cheek. Jared hadn’t known what to do. He’d only recognized the diamondback from the skinned one he’d asked about when he'd seen it in his grandpa’s barn. He knew he couldn’t carry the eighty-pound dog back to the house, they were still miles away from home.

He could feel Bode’s body growing limp, his movements slowing and uncoordinated. He patted the soft fur. “S’okay Bode, you’ll be alright. I won’t let anything happen to you. I can’t lose you, Bode. Stay with me, boy.” Tears slipped down Jared’s face and he knew his new best friend in the whole world was slipping away before his eyes. He threw back his head and screamed, “NOOoooooo.”

Then something strange started to happen. He felt a strange tingling shift inside him, and his whole body was suddenly hot and tight as if his skin was three sizes too small and, without warning, ribbons of light seemed to pour from his body and coil themselves around Bode’s body. Bo’s legs seemed to light up and it was like Jared suddenly had x-ray vision and he could see inside Bo’s body, see the snake’s venom as it flowed through Bo’s veins, corroding and killing everywhere it flowed. And he wanted so bad for that to stop, for the venom to leave Bo’s body, and suddenly its progress seemed to halt. As Jared concentrated, he mobilized all the healthy white blood cells he could to surround the invading venom. Glowing with the same mysterious light that was pouring out of Jared, the white blood cells flung themselves into the fight to save the body, at the price of their certain death.

Jared’s spirits soared and he shook Bode. “Hold on boy, I got this. I can make you better.” Jared adjusted his hold on Bo’s leg and watched in fascination as the venom was expelled from the dog’s body. Bode shivered, and Jared sent healing thoughts to him as he moved on to treat the wound on his face. When the last of the venom had been eliminated from the dog's body, all that was left were the puncture holes. Jared wrinkled his brow, all it seemed to take was him focusing on it for the wounds in Bo’s skin and muscle to heal, the skin reknitting itself, the torn flesh made whole.

Jared blinked and ran his hand along Bo’s side. Jared could feel his heart beating stronger under his fingers. He huffed out a relieved sigh and sat back as exhaustion swamped him, collapsing to the ground, unconscious.

He woke briefly as the sun was setting, being carried back to the house in his Grampa’s arms, Bode trotting happily by his side.

He’d woke again later the next day, Bo on guard at the foot of his bed.

“You’re alive, boy?” Jared whispered. He rubbed Bode’s head wonderingly, “So I really did it?” He closed his eyes in concentration and tried to summon the colored lights, he wanted to know for sure Bode was okay. His hands grew warm and Jared cracked an eyelid and was overjoyed to see bright tendrils start to curl from his fingers and disappear into Bo’s fur. Jared concentrated hard and could ‘see’ inside Bode, see the strong beat of his heart, the healthy circulation, no sign of corrosive venom anywhere. Tired again, Jared shook Bo’s head. “You’re going to be all right, boy.” And then he promptly passed out for another whole day.

His grandpa chalked it up to sun-stroke.

Jared never tried to change his mind.

He’d spent the rest of the summer experimenting with his new found skills, healing small things, bruises on his own skin scrapes on Bode. One day he healed a wounded armadillo they’d found out in the desert. He found that for his power to work best he required, if not physical contact, at the very least close proximity to the patient. With extra practice, he was able to last longer and not collapse in exhaustion as he had done with Bode. Some things he couldn’t heal, but many he could. By the time his parents’ divorce papers had gone through and he was loaded into his mom’s shiny new station wagon and on his their way to their new house in Chicago, Jared knew what he wanted to do with his life. He was going to be a doctor.

: : :

Jared finished his rounds and drove home, tossing fitfully in bed all night long. He was the only one to blame, really. He knew there was a special connection between Jensen and him, but now, because of his impetuous actions, he couldn’t risk being near him. Couldn’t risk that Jensen might put one and one together and discover Jared's powers. Maybe there could have been some better solution, but he had realized after that first touch that healing Jensen’s eyes was going to require a lot of time, time and proximity that wouldn’t be easy to explain. In the end, he could think of no other solution than to steal Jensen away in a fake ‘kidnapping’. It tore him apart to cause the man he had so quickly fallen in love with so much fear and stress, but he hoped the outcome would be worth it to him. All he knew was he couldn’t afford for anyone to learn about his powers and expose him as the freak he was. He would lose everything, the job he loved, his freedom…This way he only had to deal with losing the man he could have imagined living the rest of his life with. But it was the only option, he needed to stay far, far away.

The ringing of his phone woke him the next morning. He already knew who it was, but just in case it was the hospital, he glanced at the screen. With a groan, he dropped it back on the nightstand and let it go to voicemail. He lay there another fifteen minutes trying to pretend that the two hours of sleep he’d managed to get when he wasn’t thinking about Jensen were enough to make it through the day. Work really seemed to be the only answer. He would bury himself in work and forget the man who haunted his dreams.

: : :

By his fourteenth call, Jensen knew something was up, but he had a plan. Jared had said he was going to Chicago for Christmas, so how many Padalecki’s could there possibly be? Combing directory service on his phone he found there were actually six. By his fourth call, he finally lucked out.

“Hello?” a warm female voice answered the phone.

“Umm, hi there.” Jensen rolled his eyes, you’d think by the fourth call he’d have gotten better at this. “This may sound strange but I’m trying to contact a Jared Padalecki. He wouldn’t be there by any chance, would he?”

“Oh, Jared, that’s my son. No, sorry dear, are you a friend of his?”

Nodding to himself, Jensen said, “Yes, but we’ve only known each other a short while. I was trying to get hold of him, is he there? Can I talk to him?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. No, he was called into work, Some kind of emergency. He didn’t make it out to Chicago at all. You could try him at his home in Seattle. Do you have the number?”

“That’s too bad. No, that’s okay. I have his number, I’ll try there. Thank you for your help…Mrs. Padalecki.”

“It’s Bev, hon, and you are?”

“Jensen, Jensen Ackles.”

“Well, when my son calls I’ll be sure to tell him you called.”

“Thanks, ma’am. I really appreciate it.” Jensen hung up his cell and sat there staring at it thoughtfully. So, Jared had never left Seattle. Pieces were definitely starting to fall into place.

: : :

Jared was glad he had decided to spend his second week at work. It gave Ty a chance to see his family in Vancouver, and as it was still only a partial shift shared with Dr. Rhodes, he could still rest up. He was in ICU doing his last set of rounds for the day when he was called over to the nursing station. “Dr. Padalecki?” Nurse Smith smiled, holding her hand over the receiver of her phone. “You’ve got a visitor in reception. He says it’s an emergency and he needs to speak to you right away.”

“Do you have a name?” Jared asked, concerned it might be one of Morgan’s parents. The young boy was starting to respond to treatment but it was going to be rocky for a while. The nurse shook her head, no.

“Okay, well I’m done here anyway, tell reception I’ll be right down.” With a rushed flourish, Jared signed off the chart he was looking at and snapped the clipboard closed and handed it to Nurse Smith. “Night, Sam.” He waved as he strode to the elevator.

He understood how worried parents got over their children and was ready for practically anything by the time he exited the elevator and made his way to main reception. His gaze panned over the room, searching for a parent he recognized. He did a sharp intake of breath when a tall, dirty blond haired man looking out the big plate glass windows of the reception turned and looked toward him.

“Jensen.” He breathed.

“Dr. Padalecki. I’ve been trying to reach you.” Without the assistance of a cane, Jensen walked with a confident and a natural unself-conscious grace directly toward Jared. Jared’s heart swelled at having some part in restoring Jensen to his former self.

“I was worried I wouldn’t recognize you, but I know that voice.” Jensen’s gaze was taking in every inch of him, his expression not exactly welcoming, more thoughtful.

“What’s going on?” Jared hoped he sounded surprised. The reality of Jensen’s restored vision was so much better than even Jared had expected. He only wished Jensen could take off his sunglasses, but Jared knew he would be very sensitive to light for weeks to come.

“I have my vision back,” Jensen said bluntly.

“What the heck? Seriously. How is that even possible?” Jared tried to swallow his guilt and kept a smile pasted firmly on his face.

“It’s amazing what can happen over the holidays,” Jensen said dryly. “It’s one of the many things I wanted to talk to you about, but you’ve been a hard man to get a hold of.”

Jared just shook his head and ran his hand through his hair as he tried to come up with a feasible excuse, “Been busy. You know… And I didn’t realize…”

“Yeah, that’s kind of what I thought. Listen, is there somewhere we could talk?” Jensen was watching him carefully. Jared tried to act concerned but nonchalant.

“Um, ah, over here.” Jared led them towards an empty triage room and Jensen closed the door softly behind them. Next, he clicked the overhead lights off so the only source of light in the room was the light over the triage bed and the street lamps from outside the windows that filled one side of the room.

“Didn’t you get any of my calls?” Jensen said pointedly as he removed his sunglasses and leaned against the door.

“Um, well, I only just got back. Got called in early, an emergency with a child.”

“That’s not what your mom says.” A cat that got the canary smile played at the corners of Jensen’s mouth and he took a step into the room.

Jared took a step back, alarm bells going off in his brain, all his plans to avoid Jensen suddenly out the window. In a not so subtle attempt to change the subject, he said, “It’s wonderful that you’re healed, a miracle. Really! You must be thrilled. What did you do?”

Jensen took another step toward Jared. “I was kidnapped. Supposedly for ransom, but I was worried it was organ donation since it was a medical professional who kidnapped me. I lived in terror and fear for my life for the last few days, but I think it was my kidnapper who cured me.”

“No,” Jared croaked, guilt swamping his as he stumbled backward. “That’s not even possible, how could they do that?”

“Oh, not they, HIM. And I wouldn’t have thought so, either. Every medical professional I ever spoke to said regaining my vision just wasn’t possible. And I don’t even remember when it happened, nothing except having the most amazing dreams about colorful lights – and about you. Curious, right?” Jensen moved forward with predatory grace, emerald green eyes flashing.

“Wow, kidnapped, you say. You were very lucky you weren’t hurt.” Jared backed up some more, bumping up against the bed in the middle of the room. Flustered, he mumbled, “Astonishing!”

“Oh, now I realize I was never in any real danger. I only wish I could have believed him when he told me that.”

“Your kidnapper…,” Jared's voice tried unsuccessfully to stay in the same key.

Jensen circled Jared, his voice low and thoughtful, “You know there’s one thing that people often forget about blind people, Dr. Padalecki.”

“Oh? What’s that?” Jared replied warily.

Jensen’s smile widened and he arched a brow, as he came to a stop in front of Jared. “Their sense of smell.”

“Yes, I’d heard that before, that a blind person’s sense of smell sharpens dramatically. Probably mother nature’s way to help even the score, making up for the loss of another sense.”

“MMM,” Jensen murmured noncommittally, now so close to Jared they were almost touching. All Jared could do was stare into those perfect green, green eyes.

“But, you know what else?” Jensen trailed off as he leaned in closer and inhaled deeply.

Jared looked at him in sudden comprehension. He could see his career circling the drain. See himself being sent away for a long, long time. Locked up, his power something to be feared…

Jensen’s green gaze tracked Jared’s every expression as he continued, “…you, Dr. Padalecki, have a very distinctive scent, earthy with a hint of the sandalwood soap I’m sure you’re partial to, and a little something that’s just you. Your voice threw me off for a while, but the height, the cadence of your speech, but most of all, your scent.”

“You knew?” Jared’s voice came out as a faint wheeze.

“Not at first, not until the first night where you escorted me down the hall, and I got really close to you. But I still didn’t know what your intentions were. If I was going to wake up without a lung or kidney, or not wake up at all. You went on and on about how much you were in debt, and Ted Bundy was charming.”

Jared swallowed and stood stock still as Jensen stepped right up next to him. His arms gripped the edge of the bed on either side of Jared, caging him in place.

“Why didn’t you just say you knew of a cure? Why all the subterfuge? Is it something that hasn’t been approved yet?” Jensen shook his head, trembling with rage. “But that’s beside the point. Didn’t you realize what you put me through? The fear and uncertainty?”

Jared’s mind boggled in disbelief; stunned at his own stupidity. Why hadn’t he thought of that? In a blink, Jensen had just provided him with the most astonishingly plausible way out. He grasped at it like a drowning man, “Would you really have believed me, Jensen?”

Jensen looked away clearly angry, “How would I know? You never even gave me the chance. I might have…they’re making new discoveries every day. And you would have access to that kind of thing. Was it a dangerous drug? Did you do something illegal?”

Flying by the seat of his pants, Jared offered solemnly, “It was ninety percent approved. All the lab results and testing were perfect. It was only a matter of the paperwork, but that could still have taken years. Years I didn’t want you to wait.”

Jared’s teeth worried at his lip, he was so going to hell. But if it was a lie that could keep him practicing and potentially keep Jensen too, he could happily live with it. This was too easy, he thought gleefully. Why didn’t I think of this myself? But then his conscience started to kick in as he gazed at Jensen’s flustered face. Ignoring his better judgment, he ran with it anyway, adding the perfect cherry on top, “If anyone learned what I did, I could go to jail.”

“Jail…” The word halted Jensen in his tracks and Jared could see his anger leaching right out of him. He shook his head, “I won’t say a word about you, I was just so mad at you for not trusting me.” Jensen ran his hands through his hair in agitation, “Maybe I can tell my friends I was in a drug trial? That could work, right? I know, I don’t want to do anything that would get you in trouble for trying to help me. I just wish you’d told me.”

“I know, I know I screwed up. I should have found a way, but we’d only just met,” Jared replied easily, drawing on the truth. “You’d think I was crazier than you already did. And ‘Operation Jensen’ needed to proceed in a hurry because I had to collect everything before my Christmas leave started. It was the only way I would have enough uninterrupted time to try and cure you.”

“Is that why I was so tired, the drugs?” Jensen asked. “You kept denying it, but I knew it…”

Jared shook his head. “I’m sorry I lied. Strong drugs like that take it out of you… the healing process is exhausting. That’s is why you slept so much.”

“That was such a huge risk. And you took it for me?” Jensen’s hand cupped Jared’s jaw. “I can’t believe you did that. No one’s ever done anything close to that for me. I’m still mad at you, but It’s so incredible… and look at you, you look like you’re about to fall over. Did I cause that?”

Jared glanced away guiltily, his web of lies starting to ping his conscious. “No, no, I got an emergency call to do surgery on a little boy with cancer and I’m dead on my feet. I thought you were one of his parents, come to talk to me about him.”

“I am so sorry. So sorry to have doubted you. What you did for me was amazing. More than amazing.” Jensen beamed, and Jared gloried in the light shining out of his eyes. It made all the subterfuge worth it. “You’ve given me my life back and more!” Jensen moved in closer, pressing his body close against Jared, those luminous, gloriously alive green eyes flirting up from beneath his lashes. “Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?” Jensen nibbled at Jared’s jawline.

A guilty flush rising over his cheeks, Jared murmured, “Maybe, kiss me?”

Jensen’s eyelids fluttered closed to emerald slits as he stood on tiptoes to kiss Jared. When their lips touched, Jared felt a spark of something more than arousal jolt through his body. He tried to focus on what had caused it, but he was soon distracted, as their kiss deepened.

When they finally broke apart, Jensen’s expression grew serious, “Jared, I want you to know that I will forever be grateful for you taking this chance on me. But even if you hadn’t, I would have wanted to get to know you better.”

Jared nodded in agreement. “I feel the same. I only stayed away because I was worried you’d guess the truth. I couldn’t afford for anyone know what I’ve done.”

“I haven’t told anyone,” Jensen vowed earnestly.

“Seriously, that’s wonderful, but I can hardly believe it.” Jared stood there wide eyed.

“When I finally was sure beyond a doubt that it was you, I decided not to tell anyone, at least not until I talked to you. And I haven’t.” Jensen’s fingers played with Jared’s hair at the back of his neck and he grinned cheekily, “Hmm, so does that mean, in a way, that I saved you right back?”

Jared laughed, “Wow. Yeah, I think so. So, we’re even?”

“Kind of. But I still think I should at least make you dinner for your troubles, though you’re a pretty terrific cook. It’s kind of the least I could do.”

“Okay, name a time.” Jared leaned back, watching Jensen, a relieved smile tickling at the corners of his mouth.

“Okay. How about now?”

“Now?” Jared sputtered.

“What? You doing something the night before Christmas eve? Oh, and by the way, you’re invited over tomorrow night to meet my friends.”

“Your friends? Including that redheaded waitress?” Jared knew his expression looked pained.

“Dani, and yes, she’ll be devastated when she sees you with me. It’ll be fine.”

“Wait, I haven’t even agreed to dinner yet.” Jared pursed his lips.

“Well, I could resort to blackmail, but I’d much prefer if you came willingly. I bought some fresh veg, and steaks. That sound tempting enough for you?”

“I don’t know." Jared hesitated. “What will we be having for desert?”

“That’s negotiable,” Jensen smirked, taking took Jared’s hand and tugging on it. “Coming?”

“I’m driving,” Jared announced firmly.

“Good, because I don’t have my license back… yet.” Jensen replied.

: : :

Dinner was a pleasant blur full of smiles and shared kisses, with soft music playing in the background as they ate. Jared insisted on taking over cooking the steaks on Jensen’s rickety stove after Jensen experienced a near steak en flambé incident. Jared suggested he stick to baking the potatoes which, according to Jensen, came out to perfection.

When the meal ended, Jensen brought out a thick slice of decadent bakery made chocolate cake for dessert and two forks. He also puttered around and changed the music to some classic Christmas songs. They battled over the last forkful of chocolate and then, laughing, Jensen rose to collect the dishes. But Jared grabbed up his hand and spun him around, slow dancing him around the tiny living room in time to _I’ll be Home for Christmas_. The song ended, and Jared leaned down, claiming Jensen’s lips in a bruising kiss, nipping and tugging at his bottom lip. Jared pulled back and stared into Jensen’s eyes, “I’m so sorry, Jensen. I’m sorry about everything I put you through. Can you forgive me?”

Jensen stared into his eyes a smirk on his lips when he replied. “I think it might take a lot of apologizing, but we’ll get there.” Leaning in, Jensen returned the kiss with equal enthusiasm, his arms tightening around Jared’s body. Jared moaned and rocked himself against Jensen’s fattening cock. “I think I’m just about ready for that apology now,” Jensen murmured, his hand reaching down to cup Jared’s thickening arousal. Jensen shrieked in surprise when, with a growl Jared swooped down and lifted Jensen into his arms, carrying him off into the bedroom.

When they bumped against the foot of the bed they let themselves fall, bouncing together on Jensen’s wobbly bedsprings, and laughing. Within minutes, their clothes were littered all over the floor and, quick as a cat, Jared rolled over top of Jensen, capturing him between his bent arms. He mouthed at Jensen’s racing pulse as his rocked his hips, grinding gently against Jensen’s fattening cock. Jensen’s lips were swollen and parted, every freckle standing out in the soft light of the bedroom, a bright flush on his face. Jared’s cock twitched at the sight and he couldn't move fast enough.

Egged on by Jensen whispering dirty things in his ear, Jared managed to reach the nightstand and the lube bottle sitting there. They were both already half hard when Jared rolled them to their sides and gathered both their cocks into his large, lube slicked hand. He jacked them hard and dirty. Jensen keened in Jared’s tight hold, his hands touching Jared anywhere he could reach. It was hot and it was fast, and soon both of them were coming at the same time in hot white streaks across their stomachs.

Panting for breath, they broke apart and lay there on the bed, just breathing in sync. They turned to look at each other, and Jared’s cock was still hard and so was Jensen’s. “Ready for more?” Jared asked, and he could see the red flush that now covered Jensen’s face and chest, even his adorably pointed ears.

Jensen nodded and grinned, “I’m ready, cowboy.” And he rolled over onto Jared’s stomach and licked a line across his chest, his teeth latching down on Jared’s sensitive nipple.

Jared bucks up. "Easy, they’re attached," he warned.

Without letting go, Jensen looked up at him from beneath a fringe of thick lashes and smiled mischievously. With a healing lick, he moved his attention to the other nipple. Jared whined and thrashed his head as Jensen continued to torment his poor nubs, and his ass rocked teasingly against Jared’s hard cock. “Enough of this,” Jared announced, grabbing Jensen’s hips and lifting him up bodily to impale him on his cock.

Instantly on board, Jensen grabbed Jared’s dick in his hand and lined himself up. He sank slowly down onto Jared’s lube slick shaft, a soft cry on his lips. Finally seated, he waited until the burn slowly shifted to pleasure, then began to rock gently against Jared’s hips.

“Oh God, Move!” Jared groaned, thrusting desperately up into Jensen’s wet heat.

Smiling like a Cheshire cat, Jensen leaned back, one arm braced on Jared’s leg as he started to ride him. As Jensen lifted himself up and down on Jared’s cock, Jared watched in fascination as his cock disappeared in and out of Jensen’s warm body. His hands reached up and pinched at Jensen’s pink nipples.

“Payback's a bitch,” he panted roughly when Jensen cried out.

Jensen’s cock bobbed red and shiny with precome, and achingly hard against his belly. Jared took him in hand, jerking him in time with Jensen’s undulations. Jensen’s legs started to tremble, his motions becoming erratic, and Jared growled and wrapped his big arm around Jensen’s waist, flipping them. Their positions now reversed, Jared thrust roughly into Jensen, and Jensen’s legs fell back so Jared could press in tighter as he fucked into Jensen’s hole.

Jensen’s hand snaked down to grasp his cock trapped between them and Jared knew they both wouldn’t last much longer.

“Nngh,” Jensen groaned as Jared changed his angle. His cock brushed against Jensen’s prostate on every pass, punching the air out of his lungs on each hard, desperate thrust. Together they chased their orgasms. Then Jensen was crying out, shooting jets of come all over their stomachs. As he came, he clenched down so hard on Jared’s cock Jared thought he saw stars for a moment, Jensen’s spasming channel milking him of his own orgasm, and he thought maybe he blacked out for a while.

When Jared came back to himself, his slowly softening cock was still buried balls deep inside Jensen’s ass, tremors still running through Jensen, who lay limp and pliant beneath him.

Somehow, he had the presence of mind to push himself off Jensen. He rolled onto his back, slipping out of Jensen with a wet squelch, and stared at the ceiling, completely dazed.

Then Jensen was leaning over him, shaking him, and he blinked at the look of wonder on Jensen’s face. “Jared, Jared…Do you see? At first, I thought I was dreaming again, like back at the house, but it’s real and I’m awake. What the hell is going on?”

Jared’s mouth dropped open in surprise. Ribbons of colored light surrounded both of them, undulating wildly in sunrise shades of orange, red and yellow. It was beautiful, but Jared shook his head. This didn’t happen to him, Never. Of all the years of healing people, no one other than Joe Soames had ever seen his powers, and then only when he was healing. And he certainly wasn’t healing Jensen just now.

“W-what are you saying?” Jared asked, just to be sure, “You’re seeing all this?” Jared shook his head in amazement.

“Yes, what is it? You act like you’re not surprised. What the hell, this is what I saw in my dreams? Am I going nuts? Am I awake? Fuck what’s going on Jare?”

Jared debated lying. He tried to think of some reason this could be happening but was at a total loss. And if he lied to Jensen now, how could he explain it if it happened again? What if the lights appeared every time they made love? That's if Jensen didn't panic and run away from him, and they ever actually got to make love again.

“Calm down, calm down. I – Jensen, I couldn’t tell you before, I didn’t think you’d believe me, because well, it’s pretty unbelievable. But all these colors are coming from me, from healing powers I’ve had since I was a kid.”

“I remember this,” Jensen said, awe in his voice as he reached out to touch a rippling yellow band above him. His hand passed through it, changing colors. “It tickles…feels warm. These colors, these things… I thought they were only a dream. A dream I had while I was your prisoner…”

“The short answer is, yes. I’m sorry I lied to you, there was no prototype drug. I should have told you the truth, but it’s so crazy. How could I expect you to believe me? It’s only now, when you can see it too, that I even have a chance you'll believe me.”

“What? So you’re trying to tell me you were healing me with these?” Jensen’s face looked dubious.

“Yes, exactly. It’s why I went into medicine, so I could use my powers without drawing attention to myself.”

“Powers…But I’m not hurt now. So why is it here?”

“Honestly? I don’t know.” Jared shook his head, at a complete loss.

“How does it work?” Jensen’s hand moved to rest against Jared’s heart and Jared’s chest started to glow, light around his heart pulsing with a warm rosy light. Where Jensen’s hand was in contact, tendrils of light licked out like flames along his arm and danced across the distance to Jensen’s heart, flickering around them until his heart began to glow and pulse.

“Oh, my God. They are spreading to me! But, it doesn’t hurt. In fact, it feels kind of good, warm. Just like my dreams. What’s happening to us?” Jensen’s eyes were wide as he stared at the flickering lights.

“I don’t know, but I don’t feel tired anymore. I feel fine. Better than fine, great actually.” And Jared realized he was really was telling the truth, that for the first time since he left Jensen in the alley to find his way home, he felt energized and alive.

“Look?” Jensen said, wonder as he pulled his hand away, the colored ribbons followed his hand, leaving a trail between Jared’s heart and Jensen’s hand. “What does it mean?” Jensen whispered, his face filled with excitement.

“I don’t know, but I think it has something to do with you.” Jared smiled and leaned his head down to touch Jensen’s forehead. Colors flickered in the background “I think you're helping me somehow. I feel better than I have in years, recharged. Do you feel tired? Am I draining you?” Jared asked worriedly.

“No, no, the opposite, I feel revved up, too. So these lights, these are how you heal people?”

“Yes, I direct the energy, or the light, to the area that is hurt, and I order the body to fix itself with the help of my energy. It’s one of the reasons I became a doctor, to allow me to come into contact with people who needed help. The surgery does part of it, but then my powers do the rest. But it’s never worked like this before. When I heal someone I need to sleep, to recharge, and so does the patient. It’s completely draining for both of us. But somehow, being with you, there’s some kind of bond and you fill me back up. Jen, this is amazing, we’ll need to study this some more.”

“It could take a lot of research,” Jensen smirked as he wriggled in closer to Jared.

“Mmmm,” Jared acknowledged as his cock started to thicken, again.

“And we might have to spend a lot of time together researching this phenomenon.” Jensen pursed his lips thoughtfully as he pushed up on his arm so he could look into Jared’s eyes.

“That’s very true,” Jared nodded again and licked his lips.

“When should we begin?” Jensen smiled, eyes sparkling as he dipped in for another kiss.

“I think we already have.”

 

FIN

 

^^ Comments always appreciated no matter when you read the story

**Author's Note:**

> List up to five prompts (optional):  
> Anything featuring the above likes is fine! But if you need ideas -  
> 1) Powers!Sam seducing Dean (can RPF this if you want!)  
> 2) “What will $50 get me?”  
> 3) Some good, old-fashioned wooing via kidnapping  
> 4) Love at second sight  
> 5) Paperman-inspired~ ([](https://www.youtube.com/watch?)  
>  **v=_e_aAWy6QjA">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e_aAWy6QjA)**
> 
>  
> 
>  


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